Key Points
- A 32TB Seagate hard drive has been spotted for sale in Japan.
- This is the first time a drive of this size has been available directly to consumers.
- It is part of the IronWolf Pro series, not the enterprise-focused Exos line.
- The drive costs approximately $887. Seagate made no official announcement about the release.
A massive 32-terabyte hard drive from Seagate has quietly appeared on store shelves in Japan. The drive, which is part of the IronWolf Pro series, was available at retailers in Akihabara without any official announcement from the company. This is a significant milestone because it is the first time a hard drive of this size has been sold directly to consumers.
For years, the largest hard drives were available only to large corporations and data centers through specialized enterprise channels. While Seagate has had 30TB and 32TB drives in its Exos line for some time, they were never intended for the public.
By releasing this new drive under the IronWolf Pro brand, designed for professional and small-business use, Seagate is signaling a major shift in its strategy.
The drive itself uses familiar technology. It’s a standard 3.5-inch hard disk that spins at 7,200 RPM and connects via a SATA interface. It has a transfer speed of about 285MB/s, which is in line with other high-capacity drives on the market. The main selling point here isn’t speed, but pure, massive storage density.
However, all that space comes at a price. The drive is priced at 138,160 yen, about $887. This makes it not only the largest consumer hard drive you can buy, but also one of the most expensive.
The quiet, “no-fanfare” release suggests that Seagate is testing the waters. They are likely trying to determine whether there is real demand for this much storage outside the data center market. For now, it is unclear if this 32TB beast will ever be sold outside of Japan.
