Seagate Introduces 32TB Exos, SkyHawk AI, and IronWolf Pro Drives

At Intersec 2026, Seagate announced new 32TB hard drives across its Exos, SkyHawk AI, and IronWolf Pro product lines, positioning them for AI-driven video analytics at the edge, NAS deployments, and large-scale data centers.

Seagate SkyHawk AI 32TB

IDC estimates that more than 75% of organizations expect their video data volumes to at least double within the next five years, as AI adds annotations, summaries, and searchable intelligence to each video stream. These changes are pushing storage systems to handle sustained write workloads, long retention periods, and continuous access across industries ranging from smart cities and retail to transportation and critical infrastructure.

Seagate SkyHawk AI 32TB Specifications

Specification	Detail
Model Number	ST32000VE000
Capacity	32TB
Interface	SATA 6Gb/s
Recording Technology	CMR
Drive Design	Helium
Max Sustained Transfer Rate	285MB/s (272MiB/s)
Cache	512MB
Supported HD Cameras	Up to 64
Supported AI Streams	32
AI Real-Time Capture Events	Up to 120 events/sec
AI Real-Time Compare Events	Up to 96 events/sec
Workload Rating	550TB/year
MTBF	2,500,000 hours
Load/Unload Cycles	600,000
Average Read/Write Power	8.2W
Idle Power	6.7W
Operating Temperature	10°C to 60°C
Dimensions (H x W x D)	26.1mm x 101.85mm x 147.0mm
Weight	695g
Warranty	5 years
Rescue Data Recovery	3 years included

To meet those demands, the drive supports sustained transfer rates of up to 285MB/s and is rated to handle up to 64 HD camera streams alongside 32 AI streams running analytics in parallel. Seagate specifies real-time AI capture rates of up to 120 events per second and real-time compare rates of up to 96 events per second, which aligns with deployments that combine continuous recording with edge analytics workloads.

The 32TB model features a 550TB-per-year workload rating and a 2.5 million-hour MTBF, matching reliability levels typically associated with enterprise drives, despite its surveillance focus. Features such as ImagePerfect AI and built-in RV sensors help maintain consistent recording in multi-bay systems, while SkyHawk Health Management and RAID RapidRebuild support help reduce recovery time after failures. Power draw remains controlled for its class, with average read and write power listed at 8.2W and idle power at 6.7W, supporting dense NVR deployments.

Seagate IronWolf Pro 32TB

IronWolf Pro 32TB is designed for NAS deployments that increasingly serve multiple roles, including file storage, creative workloads, backups, and on-premises AI processing. Seagate targets this drive at small and mid-sized businesses, creative professionals, and organizations that run AI workloads locally rather than pushing all data to the cloud.

Seagate IronWolf Pro 32TB Specifications

Specification	Detail
Standard Model Number	ST32000NT000
Interface	SATA 6Gb/s
Features
Drive Bays Supported	Unlimited
Recording Technology	CMR
Drive Design (Air or Helium)	Helium
Workload Rate Limit (WRL)	550TB/year
Rotational Vibration (RV) Sensors	Yes
Cache (MB)	512MB
Reliability/Data Integrity
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)	2,500,000 hours
Nonrecoverable Read Errors per Bits Read, Max	1 per 10E15
Power-On Hours (per year)	8760
Sector Size (Bytes per Logical Sector)	512e
Rescue Data Recovery Services (years)	3
Limited Warranty (years)	5
Performance
Spindle Speed (RPM)	7200RPM
Interface Access Speed (Gb/s)	6.0, 3.0, 1.5
Max Sustained Transfer Rate OD (MB/s)	285
Rotational Vibration (10–1500 Hz, rad/s)	12.5
Power Consumption
Startup Current, Typical (12V, A)	2.0A
Idle Power, Average (W)	6.8W
Average Operating Power (W)	8.3W
Standby Mode, Typical (W)	1.2W
Sleep Mode, Typical (W)	1.2W
Power Supply Requirements	+12V and +5V
Environmental/Temperature
Operating Temperature (ambient, min)	10°C
Operating Temperature (drive reported, max)	60°C
Nonoperating Temperature (ambient, min)	-40°C
Nonoperating Temperature (ambient, max)	70°C
Environmental/Acoustics
Vibration, Nonoperating (10Hz to 500Hz, Grms)	2.27
Acoustics, Idle (typical, dBA)	28
Acoustics, Seek (typical, dBA)	32
Environmental/Shock
Shock, Operating 2ms (Read/Write)	30/30 Gs
Shock, Nonoperating (1ms and 2ms)	200 Gs
Physical
Height (mm/in, max)	26.11mm / 1.028in
Width (mm/in, max)	101.85mm / 4.01in
Depth (mm/in, max)	146.99mm / 5.787in
Weight (g/lb, typical)	695g / 1.53lb
Carton Unit Quantity	20
Cartons per Pallet / Cartons per Layer	40 / 8

For reliability, the IronWolf Pro matches SkyHawk AI with a 550TB per year workload rating and a 2.5 million-hour MTBF specification. AgileArray firmware optimizes RAID behavior in multi-bay NAS systems, addressing vibration, error-recovery timing, and balance issues that can affect performance and drive longevity. IronWolf Health Management provides proactive monitoring and guidance. At the same time, the five-year limited warranty and three years of Rescue Data Recovery Services are included to support long-term deployments where uptime and recoverability matter.

Looking at performance, the IronWolf Pro 32TB looks very similar to Seagate’s enterprise offerings, which makes sense given how often these drives end up in always-on NAS systems. It spins at 7200RPM and delivers sustained transfer rates of up to 285MB/s, which is more than enough for multi-user access, backups, and heavier file workloads. The drive is rated for 550TB per year. Features like rotational vibration sensors, a helium-sealed design, and a 512MB cache help keep performance consistent in multi-bay enclosures, while idle power is around 6.8W with an average operating power at 8.3W.

Seagate Exos 32TB

The Exos 32TB is a high-capacity enterprise drive designed for continuous operation in cloud and data center environments, where sustained throughput and predictable behavior are critical. Built around conventional magnetic recording and a helium-sealed design, the drive targets large-scale deployments that need to increase storage density without changing rack layouts or infrastructure. Seagate’s inclusion of features like PowerBalance and PowerChoice indicates a focus on managing power efficiency alongside performance in always-on environments.

Seagate Exos 32TB Specifications

Specification	Detail
Model Number	ST32000NM004K
Capacity	32TB
Recording Technology	CMR
Drive Design	Helium-sealed
Spindle Speed	7200RPM
Interface	SATA 6.0Gb/s
Max Sustained Transfer Rate	285MB/s (272MiB/s)
Random Read/Write (4K QD16)	170 / 350 IOPS
Average Latency	4.16ms
Cache	512MB (Multisegmented)
Workload Rating	550TB/year
MTBF	2,500,000 hours
Power-On Hours	8760 per year
Idle Power	6.9W
Max Operating Power	9.5W
Rotational Vibration Tolerance	12.5 rad/sec
Operating Temperature	10°C to 60°C
Dimensions (H x W x D)	26.1mm x 101.85mm x 147.0mm
Weight	695g
Warranty	5 years

For performance, the Exos 32TB runs at 7200 RPM and supports sustained transfer rates of up to 285 MB/s, while random read and write performance is rated at 170 and 350 IOPS, respectively, for 4K QD16 workloads. Average latency is listed at 4.16ms.

The drive is rated for 550TB per year workloads and a 2.5 million-hour MTBF, and it is designed for continuous, 24×7 operation. Support for 512e sectors, tolerance for rotational vibration up to 12.5 rad/sec, and firmware-level protections like RSA 3072 verification make it a better fit for large multi-drive deployments. Power consumption remains reasonable for the capacity, with idle power listed at 6.9W and peak random-read power at 9.5W, enabling higher storage density without a significant increase in power or cooling requirements.

Pricing and Availability

Seagate says the 32TB SkyHawk AI, Exos, and IronWolf Pro hard drives will be available beginning January 14 through its authorized channel partners worldwide. Recommended retail pricing is set at $699.99 for the SkyHawk AI 32TB, $729.99 for the Exos 32TB, and $849.99 for the IronWolf Pro 32TB.