Article

Toshiba has established its HDD Innovation Lab in Düsseldorf, Germany, to support data center architects in optimizing storage configurations. The lab evaluates HDD solutions based on customer needs, focusing on functionality, performance, and energy consumption.

A significant project involved testing the JBOD PROMISE VTrak J5960, which supports 60 HDDs and aims to minimize energy usage. The lab confirmed energy efficiency with a standby consumption of 286W and a workload consumption below 611W.

The configuration achieved a capacity of nearly 1.5PB using 24TB Toshiba SATA drives, demonstrating a throughput between 6GB/s and 7GB/s. The JBOD's compact design allows for easy installation in standard racks, and its maintenance features enhance operational efficiency. The findings highlight the potential for optimizing cost and energy efficiency in large-scale storage solutions.