Tom’s Hardware is running a story detailing Seagate’s experiments with a new hard disk mechanical technique called ‘Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording.’ In the HAMR process, a laser moves before the write head heating up the surface material, somehow (dark ritual, probably) decreasing the need for a stronger magnetic field. In doing so they estimate platter densities of 50 terabits per square inch, which is about ten bojillion metric fucktons, or in robot parlance, 6.25 terabytes. Lots.
