Old School Hard Drives Get a Boost in Reliability as Demand Soars

In an encouraging turn of events, Backblaze has released its latest HDD reliability report for 2025, revealing that traditional hard drives are experiencing improved reliability. The report highlights an overall failure rate of just 1.36%, a decrease from 1.55% in the previous year. This positive development comes as the demand for hard disk drives (HDDs) continues to rise in the tech industry.

Understanding the Report

The report scrutinizes a comprehensive dataset of 344,196 hard drives across various models from renowned manufacturers including Western Digital (WD), HGST, Toshiba, and Seagate. Notably, these drives were operating in cloud server environments, often subjected to intensive usage patterns, suggesting that HDDs may still hold considerable value in high-demand scenarios.

The Bright Side for HDDs

With the advent of new technologies aimed at improving performance, there has been a renewed interest in HDDs, especially as the price of solid-state drives (SSDs) increases. Western Digital has announced promising developments, claiming that its new HDD technology will deliver "flash-like" performance, although it is yet to become available in the market. This could open new avenues for HDDs, making them a competitive option once more.

Challenges Ahead

Despite these positive trends, Western Digital has reported that it is effectively sold out of HDDs for the entire calendar year of 2026, with most production allocated to major tech firms, particularly those involved in artificial intelligence. This demand shift may signal a competitive landscape for HDD makers, as consumer-grade HDDs account for only a small fraction of WD’s revenue—around 5%—indicating that the broader consumer market is leaning towards SSD options.

This situation presents an interesting dilemma for consumers and the industry alike. As HDDs improve in reliability and performance, will they regain a foothold in consumer markets, or will advances in AI continue to dominate the production landscape? Only time will tell, but for now, the news remains optimistic for HDD enthusiasts and businesses alike.