Researchers Deploy Graphene on HDDs to Enable up to 10x Density Increase With HAMR Technology | TechPowerUp
 
HDD manufacturers have tirelessly worked to reinvent the spinning drive technology (and sometimes topology) with increased storage density capabilities (potentiated by the development of technologies such as HAMR (Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording) and MAMR (Microwave Assisted Magnetic Recording). Researchers with the Cambridge Graphene Centre have collaborated with the University of Exeter, India, Switzerland, Singapore and the US to showcase how much life there might still exist in HDDs - if only graphene were to be used.

The research shows how a single graphene layer (researchers tested up to four layers) can be used as a replacement for multiple layers of carbon-based overcoats (COCs), which are deployed on platters to protect them from mechanical damages and corrosion. Current COC thickness stands at only 3 nm, but any existing space between platters presents a bottleneck to the number of platters (and thus storage density) that can be achieved in the HDD world. The researchers demonstrated that graphene enables a two-fold reduction in friction and provides better corrosion and wear protection than current state-of-the-art solutions. In fact, one single graphene layer reduces corrosion by 2.5 times. The researchers further demonstrated that graphene can still be deployed as protective layers in HAMR-totting HDDs - a feat that current carbon-based overcoats can't reproduce, as they fail at the high temperatures arising from the heat-assisted recording. Just one more feather on graphene's utility cap.
 
Looks like there is still life left for HDDs after all in my opinion. 

ohhh finally!!! they are using it!
 
that's awesome!!!  this is very very very good news!

Temet Nosce
We live in the age of cloud storage, how much use for HDDs is there outside things like Chia? I'm legitimately unclear as to whether this has some obvious use I'm missing or the like, or it's mostly an academic discovery. Because honestly, even if they do start selling 200TB HDDs, I don't really have much call for one.

How is cloud storage a substitute for local storage? Did you ever read about fires and catastrophic failures at datacenters? Those happen. So there's no substitute for local storage and backups. It's also inefficient; I can power my device(s) down when I don't need them, if everyone increasingly relied on cloud-only or cloud-mainly, that's not possible. One way or another, exceptions notwithstanding it is much more efficient to have data close to the source user, instead of having to transport it through a minimum of 2 servers.

Temet Nosce
Where's the call for something like this though? I can see two markets here, SSDs and price/performance. A more expensive per storage 200TB HDD just seems like a novelty to me right now.

By the time it reaches mass production years from now, it will be price competitive (unless maybe it becomes a niche product for data archivers who need the better durability like the HDD equivalent of Millenium Discs) because this means more platters more closer together in the same amount of space. There's no reason they couldn't make 50, 60, or 100 TB models either. More storage at same price = good? We already have 200GB games, a dozen of those in the near future and I wouldn't mind having a huuuuge ass HDD to swap them in and out of my SSD as I move on or take a break from games.

volta77
Was it born for the chia cryptocurrency?

Probably