Seagate study: AI to double cloud storage use by 2028

Seagate has released a study highlighting the significant role of data storage in the expanding landscape of artificial intelligence (AI).

The research, conducted by Recon Analytics, surveyed 1,000 business leaders from 15 industries across ten countries. It anticipates a substantial increase in the use of cloud storage driven by AI, with 61% of respondents expecting their cloud storage to double by 2028 due to AI applications.

Roger Entner, Founder and Lead Analyst of Recon Analytics, remarked, "The survey results generally point to a coming surge in demand for data storage, with hard drives emerging as the clear winner. When you consider that the business leaders we surveyed intend to store more and more of this AI-driven data in the cloud, it appears that cloud services are well-positioned to ride a second growth wave."

AI's integration into business operations is already evident, with 72% of surveyed leaders currently utilising AI. A substantial majority, 90%, believe that extended data retention improves AI accuracy, reinforcing the need for substantial storage solutions.

The findings indicate that storage is considered the second most critical component in AI infrastructure, with security being the foremost concern. The importance of trustworthy AI emerged significantly, with 88% of AI-adopting businesses asserting the need for enhanced data storage capabilities to support AI reliability and accuracy.

BS Teh, Chief Commercial Officer at Seagate, emphasised the importance of data retention for AI development. "Trustworthy AI is really the key to enabling mainstream adoption of AI. With the vast majority of survey respondents saying they need to store data for longer periods of time to improve quality outcomes of AI, we're focused on areal density innovation needed to increase storage capacity for each platter in our HAMR-based hard drives. We have a clear pathway to more than double per-platter storage capacity over the next few years."

The research underscores a significant trend towards extended data retention, which is critical for data integrity, crucial for training AI models effectively. Longer retention periods are seen as necessary to enhance AI outcomes, maintaining the integrity needed to refine AI models continuously.

The Seagate survey aligns with findings from an IDC report, which states that 89% of data storage at leading cloud service providers resides on hard drives. This reveals not only the dependence on hard drives for current storage needs but also their expected potential in meeting future storage demands.

The study reflects the growing importance of scalable storage options as AI data creation continues to increase. It signals a need for the industry to focus on innovative storage solutions to support the future growth and integration of AI technologies across various sectors.