If you believe analysts of the IDC (International Data Corporation), the worldwide volume of data will increase tenfold by 2025. We are talking about 160 zettabyte, an unimaginable number with 21 zeros. The data flow builds a kind of central nervous system of our digital world with its technologies such as autonomous driving, machine to machine communication and IoT. Formerly, end users mainly from the entertainment sector, caused the biggest data flow worldwide. Now we expect a shift towards the business sector as a main source of generated data. Therefore in 2025 this sector will be responsible of nearly 60 percent of the global data volume. Today we speak of nearly 30 percent. Analysts agree on the fact, that the era of big data is already in full swing and a flood of data lies ahead. Technological progress will determine, how the complexity of the incredible data volume will be gathered and used. In this process, data storage will play a predominant role.

There are many ways to store data and to make it accessible. When comparing the storage media such as SSD (solid state disk), HDD (hard disk drive), flash memory or USB, the cloud is always ranked number one in the field of secure long term storage. However, the cloud is not an ominous steam-air-mixture floating above everything, but rather a cluster of servers with hard disk drives as its centrepiece. That is why the comparison of hard disk drives and the cloud in specialised media is slightly misleading. Due to the price per terabyte and the average storage lifespan of ten years, SSDs are not entirely suitable for long term storage. The predestined application area of SSDs includes fast loading and rapid transfer of data. For end consumers apparently SSDs have replaced traditional HDDs in computers and peripheral devices. But this is only half the story. The alleged replacement is not happening in all sectors. A huge amount of data finds its way into the cloud or NAS (network attached storage). The debate regarding technological progress is not just about comparing SSD and HDD, but about the respective position they will adopt in the future. Both have their own value and use.

The good old hard disks, tested and proven over decades, are in constant use and have become an integral part of the industry. The few manufacturers of hard disk drives and the respective components, including the motor development centre PM DM, are working on continuous and consistent advancement. The motor requirements are already at the limit of what is feasible. And they are still rising. A new recording technique will increase the HDD capacity in the coming years. MAMR (microwave assisted magnetic recording) is said to lead up to 40 TByte in a 3,5-inch drive. And also HAMR (heat assisted magnetic recording) is a field of research and said to provide an enormous storage space in the future. These types of hard disks are mainly used as data warehouses for big-data-applications. The manufacturers of hard disks already invest heavily in future developments. The true value of data is still severely underestimated. The really exciting and promising application possibilities lie in the fields of data analysis, new business models, new ways of thinking, new ecosystems in robotics as well as machine-learning technology and the derived potential for economy and society. Analysts estimate, that nearly 20 percent of the global data will become critical to our daily lives, and almost 10 percent will be hyper-critical, until 2025. It is expected, that an average person will interact with connected devices and systems about 4.800 times per day. The amount of the global datasphere subject to data analysis will grow by a factor of 50 to 5,2 zettabyte in the year 2025. One quarter of this amount will consist of mobile and real-time data, mainly out of the IoT. The vast potential data holds for the business sector will challenge economic decision makers worldwide in the next decades.

Drives for hard disks will remain one of the core business segments for the motor development centre PM DM in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. Motors, that meet the needs of the challenging industry of hard disks, will eventually conquer other application fields, where excellent precision and a long lifespan are required.

Source: Analysis: Data Age 2025 by IDC, www.idc.com, IDC White Paper