Storage vendor HGST is now shipping 6-terabyte hard drive systems filled with helium, and the technology already has some very big fans. CERN is testing the drives on the 60-petabyte storage system where its scientists keep their active data, and companies such as Netflix, HP, and a few anonymous large social media and search companies are also putting the drives through their paces.
Why? Because the new drives — called the HGST Ultrastar He6 – promise to store more data in the same amount of physical space as standard hard drives, while also lasting longer and using less energy. These are critical concerns when you’re running thousands of hard drives and every added bit of density or every dollar saved on the power bill adds up.
via GigaOM
