WD unveils High Bandwidth Drive, Dual Pivot actuator and power-optimized HDD roadmap

The same February 3 event added three next-generation drive designs to the roadmap. The High Bandwidth Drive offers up to 2x bandwidth today with a path to 8x and was already with customers for validation. The Dual Pivot actuator is still in the lab with availability in 2028, while power-optimized drives use about 20% less power and enter customer qualification in 2027.

• High Bandwidth Drive: up to 2x bandwidth with a path to 8x; units with customers for validation
• Dual Pivot actuator still in the lab; company says it arrives in 2028 and targets 4x sequential I/O with the High Bandwidth Drive
• Power-optimized HDDs target about 20% lower power use and enter customer qualification in 2027
• Platforms software layer with open APIs expected to launch in 2027 for customers above 200 petabytes