According to a recent global study commissioned by Seagate Technology and conducted by Recon Analytics, business leaders expect the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate unprecedented amounts of data, significantly increasing the demand for data storage, especially cloud storage. NCN Magazine spoke to Mr. Sameer Bhatia, Director: Asia- Pacific & Country Manager, India & SAARC, Seagate Technology, to know how Seagate is addressing the need for increasing storage capacity and speed due to the ever-growing AI.
NCN Magazine: Data storage has become even more crucial thanks to the rise of AI technologies. How are you addressing this need?
Mr. Sameer Bhatia: With the rapid rise of AI, particularly generative AI, data creation in India is soaring, making efficient and scalable data storage the need of the hour. In response to this growing demand, Seagate is addressing the challenge by advancing its leadership in data storage innovation.
Seagate’s recent Decarbonizing Data report found that over 94% of respondents globally reported increasing data storage needs, and nearly 97% anticipate AI will further accelerate storage demand. To meet these evolving needs, Seagate is focused on maximizing storage efficiency and sustainability through innovations such as areal density advancements and Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology. Seagate’s Mozaic 3+ technology platform, which combines HAMR with advanced nanoscale recording technologies to deliver 3TB-per-platter and beyond capacity, enabling businesses to scale efficiently without sacrificing cost-effectiveness or environmental responsibility. This breakthrough sets new industry benchmarks in storage performance and scalability, empowering businesses to manage data-intensive AI workload efficiently, while reducing cost and environmental impact. It enables up to 3 times more capacity in the same footprint, reduces embodied carbon by over 70% per terabyte, and lower costs per terabyte by 25%, making it a future-ready solution for the rapidly evolving data ecosystem in India and around the world.
NCN Magazine: Growing data demands and faster storage is now a necessity due to the ever-growing AI. How is Seagate addressing storage capacity and speed?
Mr. Sameer Bhatia: The increasing use of AI is accelerating data creation and with it, the demand for data storage and processing. According to IDC, 394ZB of data will be generated in 2028. Research by Recon Analytics shows that 97% of business leaders expect their cloud-based storage needs to be more than 100% over the next 3 years.
Upgrading the data infrastructure is no longer optional – it is essential to addressing the challenges of scale, total cost of ownership (TCO) and sustainability. You may choose to simply add more drives to increases capacity, but that will lead to higher capital investments, operational costs and resource consumption. Data centre growth today is not just about expansion, but it is about maximizing efficiency.
A more efficient approach lies in using denser hard drives, which deliver significantly more storage within the same physical footprint while consuming less power. This approach helps organisations lower operational costs and achieve sustainability goals simultaneously.
Advancements in areal density are key. Consider, this example, a 10-disk hard drive with each disk holding 3TB offers a total 30TB. Now picture a data centre upgrading from 10TB to 30TB. The leap in areal density triples storage capacity within the same footprint, while reducing cost by 25% per TB, power use by over 60% and embodied carbon by 70% or more. At scale, this translates into significantly greater data capacity with much lower impact on overall cost, space and power.
Seagate’s Exos M hard drives, powered by HAMR-based Mozaic 3+ platform, now deliver up to 36TB, the highest capacity hard drive in the industry with 3.6TB per platter and a roadmap toward 10TB per-platter capacity. These high-capacity drives not only ease physical constraints but also support the performance and reliability required for AI-driven workload.
NCN Magazine: Increase of data in size and volume is accompanied by the rise in the security concerns. How is Seagate addressing data security?
Mr. Sameer Bhatia: Seagate’s long-standing expertise in data storage has given the company deep insights into data security. At Seagate, data security is embedded into every stage of a device’s lifecycle – starting well before it reaches the customer and continuing even after the device is retired. All Seagate Secure™ devices are designed and built to be protected from threats from end to end, including design, component sourcing, manufacturing, delivery, deployment, in use and retirement. Customers can be confident that their devices remain uncompromised before deployment, and that their data remains fully protected and inaccessible even after the device is retired.
Here are Seagate’s end-to-end data security approach:
- Secure Supply Chain: All components are sourced from trusted supplier, adhering to Open Trusted Technology Provider Standard (O-TTPS) to ensure product authenticity and integrity.
- Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs): Hardware-based encryption with AES 256 standard, device root of trust, and automatic locking on power-down for robust data protection.
- Secure Diagnosis & Download (SD&D): Firmware remains protected throughout the drive’s life via digitally signed updates, locked ports and a secure booth process.
- Instant Secure Erase (ISE): Enables rapid, cryptographic erasure data for safe retirement or reuse, compliant with NIST 800-88 and ISO 27040 standards.
For those with more stringent requirements, Seagate also offers advanced government-grade security.
NCN Magazine: The rising volume of data also leads to concerns about e-waste. What steps is Seagate taking to promote recycling and sustainability?
Mr. Sameer Bhatia: As data volumes grow, so do the concern about environmental impact and sustainability. Seagate, as a leading innovator of mass capacity data storage, is committed to building a sustainable datasphere through innovations that extend product life and reduce environmental footprint.
One Seagate’s key advancements are the Mozaic 3+ technology platform, now in volume production. It delivers up to three times more storage capacity in the same footprint, reduces embodied carbon by over 70% per terabyte, and lowers the cost per terabyte by 25%. By reducing the number of hard drives and raw materials used, Seagate minimizes resource consumption and waste, contributing to a more sustainable future.
Another example is Seagate Exos CORVAULT, high-performing block storage system with multi-petabyte capacity that features Autonomous Drive Regeneration (ADR) – a self-healing technology that automatically renews failed drives in situ. ADR significantly reducing the need for replacements and minimizing e-waste. By restoring drives instead of discarding them, Seagate supports more sustainable data centre architectures that consume less host CPU, RAM and networking resources by up to 50%, which reduces carbon emissions footprints and lower total rack power consumption by 30%.
Seagate remains committed to advancing breakthrough HAMR technology and advancing innovation in areal density to deliver higher capacity per disk while minimizing environmental impacts. Hard drives continue to be one of the most sustainable storage mediums. By increasing areal density, Seagate enables more data to be stored using fewer physical drives, significantly reducing energy usage and carbon emissions. Despite a projected 167% increase in hard drive capacity by 2028, these advancements could lead to an 8% reduction in total data centre power consumption from hard drives, supporting a more sustainable global data infrastructure.
Seagate’s sustainability initiatives also include a collaboration with eBay to expand our hard drive circularity program, giving hard drive a longer life and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Seagate official storefront on eBay provides consumers direct access to factory-recertified hard drives, further promoting circularity. Additionally, Seagate is also a founding member of the Circular Drive Initiative, a partnership of global leaders in digital storage, data centres, sustainability and blockchain collaborating to reduce e-waste. In FY2023, Seagate extended the life of approximately 1.19 million hard drives and solid-stated drives through its circularity program, preventing 553 metric tons of e-waste through our circularity efforts.
NCN Magazine: Where does India stand in your scheme of things? Please elaborate.
Mr. Sameer Bhatia: India plays a crucial role in Seagate’s global strategy, standing as one of the fastest growing markets for data storage and digital technologies. The country’s rapidly expanding digital economy, coupled with the surge in AI-driven applications, makes India a key market for Seagate’s growth and innovation. In response, Seagate is committed to increasing its global presence in India by building strategic partnerships, enhancing distribution networks and localizing its offerings to meet the unique needs of this emerging market.
Seagate’s commitment to sustainability is also aligns with India’s growing emphasis on green technology and energy efficiency as AI continues to scale. Our innovative storage solutions like the Mozaic 3+ technology platform, have only become a key enabler helping businesses meet both current and future data storage demands but also minimizing environmental footprint by lowering carbon emissions, supporting India’s sustainability goals and ensuring that the rapid growth of AI remains environmentally responsible.
As AI and big data technologies continue to gain traction in India, there is a growing need for high-capacity and high-performance storage solutions. Seagate is well-positioned to serve India’s evolving landscape, offering scalable storage solutions for enterprises to drive innovation and achieve long-term success in the AI era and while contributing to the country’s digital transformation.
Covered By: NCN MAGAZINE / Seagate Technology
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