Hitachi Global Storage Technologies today announced the Ultrastar 10K300, the world’s first 10 000rpm 300GB enterprise hard disk drive for SCSI or FireWire interfaces.

Hitachi’s newest 10 000rpm hard drive satisfies the requirements of mission-critical storage applications such as online transaction processing, data analysis and media streaming.

The Hitachi Ultrastar 10K300 is built on a proven drive design with demonstrated enterprise class reliability and product quality. The new drive continues this tradition with enhanced head and disk manufacturing processes designed to extend reliability and performance. The drives will use Fluid Dynamic Bearing motors to provide a low acoustic rating and improved data integrity.

Technical specifications of the Ultrastar 10K300 are as follows:

• Capacity: 300GB, 146GB, 73GB, 36GB;
• 3.5” in width, 1” in height;
• 10 025rpm;
• 61Gigabit per square inch maximum areal density;
• 5/3/2/1 glass disk platter;
• 10/5/3/2 GMR recording head;
• 250 G@2ms non-operating shock;
• 15 G@11ms operating shock;
• 2.99ms average latency;
• 4.7/4.5/4.3 ms average seek time (read);
• 1078Mbit/s maximum internal transfer rate;
• 89MB/s maximum sustained data transfer rate;
• Ultra 320 SCSI and 2Gb/s FCAL interfaces;
• 0.75 Kg max. weight;
• 3.4 Bels typical idle acoustics.

The new 3.5” drives have already begun shipping and are in the process of being qualified at major OEMs worldwide. Hitachi expects volume shipments of the Ultrastar 10K300 to begin in the second quarter of this year.