Seagate launched the FireCuda Forge hybrid drive, combining a traditional platter HDD with a user-supplied M.2 NVMe SSD, managed by the new Alkemi intelligent storage platform. Available in 8TB ($699) and 20TB ($899) configurations, it requires users to provide their own up-to-1TB NVMe drive meeting speed minimums. The release comes amid surging storage prices driven by AI demand, reviving an approach that fell out of favor after its mid-2010s heyday.
Background
Hybrid drives (SSHD) were popular in the early-to-mid 2010s before NAND prices dropped enough to make pure SSDs mainstream. Storage pricing has exploded recently due to AI infrastructure demand, with both SSD and HDD per-TB costs reaching multi-year highs.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Nov 11, 2026 at 07:30 AM
- Score
- 6.0 / 10