Seagate begins global shipment of 32TB hard drives for AI-driven video workloads
Seagate begins global shipments of 32TB hard drives, supporting AI-driven video analytics across edge, NAS, and enterprise environments.
Seagate Technology plc has started global shipments of its new 32TB hard drives to channel and retail partners, expanding its mass-capacity storage portfolio as demand for AI-driven video analytics continues to accelerate. The new capacities span the company’s SkyHawk AI, Exos, and IronWolf Pro product lines, and are being highlighted at Intersec 2026 in Singapore as part of Seagate’s broader focus on edge-to-cloud video intelligence.
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Video data is emerging as one of the fastest-growing sources of enterprise information. As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply embedded in video image analytics, every frame now carries additional layers of summaries, annotations, and metadata. This shift is transforming video from passive footage into a searchable and operational data asset, but it is also driving a sharp increase in storage requirements, particularly at the network edge where data is first captured.
Seagate positions its 32TB drives as a response to this structural change. The company’s edge-to-cloud storage portfolio is designed to help organisations manage the full lifecycle of video data, from real-time analysis to long-term retention, while maintaining predictable performance and scalability. As AI use cases expand across sectors such as smart cities, retail, transportation, and critical infrastructure, storage capacity is becoming a foundational requirement rather than a secondary consideration.
AI-driven video analytics reshapes storage demand
The growing adoption of AI-powered video analytics is reshaping how organisations think about storage architecture. Video is no longer stored solely for compliance or retrospective review. Instead, it is increasingly used to automate alerts, accelerate investigations, and generate operational insights that influence day-to-day decision-making. These workloads require systems that can handle sustained write activity, large volumes of metadata, and long retention periods without compromising reliability.
Seagate argues that hard drives continue to play a central role in this environment. While solid-state storage is often used for high-speed processing, hard drives offer the capacity and cost efficiency needed to support the scale of modern video data. By extending 32TB capacities across its core product families, Seagate aims to give organisations the ability to scale AI workloads across hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructures, drawing on designs that have already been proven in hyperscale cloud deployments.
The company’s approach builds on its experience with conventional magnetic recording technology, which remains a key enabler of high areal density. Seagate states that this allows customers to consolidate storage footprints while supporting the steady growth of AI-generated data at both the edge and in data centres.
Targeted 32TB drives for edge, NAS, and data centres
Each of Seagate’s 32TB drive families is designed for a specific operational environment. The SkyHawk AI 32TB drive is optimised for video recording and analytics at the edge, particularly in AI-enabled network video recorders and security systems. It is engineered to support more than 10,000 hours of video and analytics workloads, with a workload rating significantly higher than standard video drives. Health monitoring features, a five-year limited warranty, and three years of data recovery services are included to support continuous operation in mission-critical settings.
The IronWolf Pro 32TB drive targets network-attached storage environments used by creative professionals, small and medium-sized businesses, and organisations running on-premise AI workloads. Built for 24-hour operation, it offers a workload rating of up to 550TB per year and includes firmware features designed to maintain system stability. Like the SkyHawk AI model, it is backed by a five-year limited warranty and three years of data recovery support.
For large-scale enterprise and cloud environments, the Exos 32TB drive focuses on capacity density and power efficiency. Designed for AI, big data, and hyperscale workloads, it delivers high platter density and is engineered for long-term reliability in data centre operations. Seagate positions the drive as a foundation for organisations looking to scale storage while managing energy use and operational sustainability.
Seagate showcases video intelligence strategy at Intersec 2026
The launch of the 32TB drives coincides with Seagate’s presence at Intersec 2026, where the company is demonstrating how storage underpins the shift from raw video capture to actionable intelligence. At the event, Seagate is highlighting how its solutions support the increasing complexity of AI-driven video environments across edge and data centre deployments.
“AI applications, like computer vision, are transforming how video is used across industries,” said Melyssa Banda, senior vice president of Edge Storage and Solutions at Seagate. “From smart city initiatives to retail and critical infrastructure, video is becoming a searchable business intelligence, and it’s changing how operations run day-to-day. This pivot demands a new kind of data backbone: mass-capacity storage at the edge and in the data centre to keep insights flowing and archives searchable. Without it, the promise of AI-powered video analytics stalls.”
The SkyHawk AI, Exos, and IronWolf Pro 32TB hard drives are available from 14 January through Seagate’s authorised channel partners worldwide. Recommended retail pricing starts at US$699.99 for SkyHawk AI, US$729.99 for Exos, and US$849.99 for IronWolf Pro.
