First successful data recovery of a 6 TB helium hard drive

(Source: Attingo Data Recovery)

(Source: Attingo Data Recovery)

(Source: Attingo Data Recovery)

(Source: Attingo Data Recovery)

(Source: Attingo Data Recovery)

(Source: Attingo Data Recovery)

The research and development department of Attingo Data Recovery has already dealt with the new helium technology before its market launch. "We were able to successfully perform data recoveries on helium-filled hard drives shortly after they became available," reports Nicolas Ehrschwendner, Managing Director of Attingo. "In our clean rooms, we now have, in addition to precision tools, microscopes, and highly sensitive analysis equipment, gas cylinders filled with helium."

The new HGST hard drive HUS726060ALA640 operates with seven data disks and fourteen read/write heads. This enormous density allows a capacity of already six terabytes (or 5.4 TiB). Conventional hard drives have the heads floating on an air cushion above the data disks. This is created by the rotation of the disks. Helium makes it possible to further reduce the distance between the heads and the disk surfaces. As a result, the capacity can be increased.

"It is very exciting to analyze the first storage device with an eleven-digit sector count: especially the innovative housing design to contain the helium inside the hard drive and the fourteen read/write heads, which now hover much closer over the surfaces than before," explains Peter Franck, Technical Director of Attingo Data Recovery. "It was a major challenge for us to develop a procedure for data recovery from defective helium storage devices."

After opening the drive in the clean room and replacing defective components, Attingo restores a helium atmosphere inside. This makes it possible to read the lost data. The data recovery specialists use 99.999% pure helium. "Thus, our technicians successfully performed the first data recovery on a helium drive," Franck enthusiastically describes.