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World desk4 min

Seagate Storage: How AI Data Centers and Game Libraries Are Changing HDDs and SSDs

Seagate’s Sameer Bhatia discusses why AI data centres and gamers may need both high-capacity HDDs and faster SSDs, with qualifications on Mozaic figures and console compatibility.
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Hard drives and SSDs are not simply competing to replace one another. In a Seagate interview, regional director Sameer Bhatia describes them as complementary: SSDs serve workloads that prioritize speed and responsiveness, while high-capacity HDDs store large volumes of data. That distinction links the needs of AI data centres with the practical problem of keeping a growing game library. The figures and product descriptions below are Bhatia’s claims in a 91mobiles interview published on 24 August 2026, not independent tests.

Why AI data centres still need high-capacity hard drives

AI services create demand not only for fast access to data but also for storing large amounts of it. Bhatia’s explanation is that flash storage suits speed-sensitive work, while HDDs can hold high volumes cost-effectively. Which medium makes sense depends on how often data is accessed and how quickly it must be available; the interview does not provide a workload-by-workload benchmark.

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Bhatia said more than 80% of the exabytes in large data centres are stored on hard drives. The interview does not identify an underlying dataset or methodology for that figure, so it should be read as his reported estimate rather than independently verified market data. He expects data centres supporting AI to use both technologies, matching performance, capacity and cost to how data is used. Source: Sameer Mitha’s 91mobiles interview with Sameer Bhatia, published 24 August 2026.

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What HAMR and Mozaic are intended to change

HAMR, or heat-assisted magnetic recording, is presented in the interview as a way to increase areal density: putting more data on each disk. Seagate’s Mozaic platform applies HAMR to raise drive capacity within a standard drive form factor. In data centres, higher capacity per drive can potentially reduce the number of drives and the infrastructure needed for a given storage deployment, though the interview’s figures apply to one modeled scenario rather than all facilities.

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Bhatia relayed a Seagate comparison for a modeled one-exabyte deployment: the latest Mozaic technology was reported to deliver approximately 47% better infrastructure efficiency than standard 30TB drives, with around 100 square feet less footprint and about 0.8 million kilowatt-hours lower annual energy consumption. These are vendor-reported model results, not measurements from an independently described deployment; the interview does not give enough methodology to reproduce the comparison.

Where an NVMe hard drive proof of concept fits

The interview also discusses a proof of concept for NVMe HDDs alongside NVIDIA BlueField. The idea is to explore a different way to connect hard drives into data-centre architectures and potentially simplify parts of the storage stack. A proof of concept is not evidence of a generally available product: Bhatia’s interview establishes neither a shipping drive nor deployment results or a release timeline.

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How the same trade-off appears in gaming

For players, the choice is less about AI infrastructure and more about balancing loading performance against library size. Bhatia says modern games can range from 20GB to over 100GB, with updates and downloadable content adding to the space required. That is a broad statement in the interview, not a measurement of every game.

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Storage choice What it prioritizes Useful role in a game library
SSD Faster speeds and shorter load times, as characterized by Bhatia Games where performance and responsiveness are a priority
High-capacity HDD Storing larger volumes cost-effectively, as characterized by Bhatia Larger libraries and archived content

This is a workload distinction, not a claim that an HDD and an SSD deliver the same play experience. Keeping a game stored on a drive and being able to run it from that drive are also separate questions, and console rules vary by generation.

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What the interview says about PlayStation and Xbox storage

Bhatia names external Game Drives for PS4 and PS5, plus an internal Game Drive PS5 NVMe SSD. For Xbox, he names external Game Drives and Game Drive Hubs. Those product categories describe options discussed in the interview; it does not provide a complete compatibility matrix, current availability, prices or performance tests.

  • Xbox Series X|S: The interview says games for these consoles can be stored on external drives. It distinguishes storage from playing: Xbox One games and compatible legacy titles can be played directly from external drives.
  • PlayStation: The interview names external drives for PS4 and PS5 and an internal NVMe SSD option for PS5, but does not spell out which titles can be played from each external-drive setup.

Before buying, check the console maker’s current storage and game-compatibility guidance for the exact console, drive connection and game. The interview alone does not establish whether a particular drive can run a particular game.

The practical takeaway: match storage to how data is used

Across data centres and consoles, Bhatia’s central argument is that storage decisions depend on the job. Fast access matters for performance-sensitive data and games; capacity-efficient storage matters when the priority is retaining large datasets or keeping more games on hand. The interview’s Mozaic estimates are limited to a modeled one-exabyte comparison, and its console discussion does not replace checking current compatibility. Its broader point is about balancing speed, capacity and cost rather than treating one storage technology as a universal successor to the other.

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Quick Recap

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This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable; The available storage capacity may vary.
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$899.00

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