To Infinity and Beyond: Data Centers Upgrade to Multiply Storage Capacities
The future is bright for cat videos and other digital content. Data storage is getting bigger and bigger, as hard drive manufacturers plan to increase their equipment capabilities. Find out what the next five years have in store for us in this overview.
The editorial team of Enovateurs received a press release published by Toshiba. This manufacturer of computer and electronic equipment details the evolution of the storage capacity of hard drives used in server farms:
This illustration shows that in 2022, data center hard drives can handle up to 26 TB (or 26,000 GB) of data. Between 2021 and 2022, storage devices have begun to handle an additional 6,000 GB. It can be seen that within three years, Toshiba plans to put into service hard drives capable of storing almost an additional 10 TB.
With this larger storage volume, companies and users will be able to store more information, which will result in even more data transmission for fiber and 5G antennas.
As a reminder, data centers allow for:
- putting online web platforms
- creating and feeding databases
- storing photos, music, etc. of web and mobile application users
In recent years, data centers have had to increase their storage capacity:
- by installing new servers and expanding their facilities
- by replacing small hard drives with larger ones, as this saves space
Toshiba's roadmap for "responding to the global demand for data" is an essential source of information for understanding digital pollution.
For example, with the democratization of teleworking, companies have turned to more dematerialized solutions. Communication tools store enormous amounts of information, especially with the recording function of video conferencing.
Individuals' digital habits also contribute to this accumulation of data and the consequent need for data centers to expand their storage capacity.
These two phenomena feed into each other in a never-ending spiral.
Yet, the resources needed for the production of devices and the energy to power them are not unlimited. Are unlimited storage capacities truly what we need for the years to come?
