0B48723 Ultrastar Dc Hc555 Western Digital 18TB 7.2K RPM SATA-6GBPS HDD

Western Digital 0B48723 Ultrastar DC HC555 18TB: Advanced Enterprise Data Storage

The Western Digital 0B48723 Ultrastar DC HC555 18TB hard drive is a powerful, reliable, and high-capacity enterprise-grade storage solution. Designed for data-intensive environments, this 3.5-inch SATA hard drive combines a massive 18TB of storage capacity with advanced technologies such as helium-sealed construction, 7,200 RPM rotational speed, a 512MB cache buffer, and 512e sector formatting. This model belongs to the Ultrastar DC HC500 series, renowned for delivering consistent performance, superior reliability, and cost-efficient storage at scale.

Built for Data Center Workloads

With data centers constantly facing increasing storage demands, the Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC555 series delivers the perfect blend of performance and efficiency. The 0B48723 model, in particular, is tailored for high-density server environments, private clouds, backup and archival systems, and big data applications. Its large storage capacity allows IT administrators and organizations to consolidate workloads, reduce physical footprints, and lower overall power consumption per terabyte.

Enterprise-Grade Reliability for Demanding Workloads

This hard drive features an MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of 2.5 million hours and is built to handle a workload rating of up to 550TB per year. That’s nearly ten times the workload of desktop drives, underscoring its capability for mission-critical 24/7 operations. The drive's 512MB cache helps ensure rapid access to frequently used data, while its robust firmware and dual-stage actuator contribute to consistent I/O performance across varied read/write conditions.

Compatibility with SATA 6Gbps Infrastructure

The Ultrastar DC HC555 0B48723 uses a SATA 6Gbps interface, making it compatible with a vast array of existing data center and enterprise-grade SATA backplanes. This compatibility simplifies upgrades and enables seamless integration into environments already optimized for SATA-based storage solutions. The use of the 512e advanced format enhances data integrity, particularly in large-scale environments that handle enormous datasets daily.

Helium Technology for Enhanced Efficiency

One of the standout features of the Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC555 series is the use of HelioSeal technology. This innovation seals the drive and fills it with helium instead of air. Since helium is less dense than air, it significantly reduces internal friction on the platters, allowing more platters to be installed in the same physical space. The result is higher capacity with lower energy consumption and quieter operation.

Lower TCO with Higher Storage Density

The use of helium enables up to 9 platters inside the 3.5-inch enclosure, boosting total capacity without increasing the drive's footprint. This leads to lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for data centers. Enterprises can store more data per rack unit, reduce cooling requirements, and optimize energy usage — all essential metrics for data centers striving for operational efficiency and sustainability.

Power Efficiency and Acoustic Improvements

The 0B48723 model consumes significantly less power per terabyte compared to traditional air-filled drives. With idle power consumption around 5.6 watts and active power consumption peaking at about 6.4 watts, it supports energy efficiency at scale. Furthermore, the reduced turbulence within the helium-sealed enclosure results in lower acoustic output, making it ideal for dense, quiet server environments.

Applications and Use Cases

From enterprise-grade storage arrays to backup and archival systems, the Western Digital 0B48723 Ultrastar DC HC555 18TB hard drive is engineered for diverse data-heavy applications. Here are some of the key use cases where this drive excels:

Private and Hybrid Cloud Infrastructures

As businesses transition to hybrid cloud environments, the need for high-capacity, high-availability storage has grown exponentially. This hard drive supports on-premises infrastructure that complements cloud deployments, giving organizations greater control over their data while still enjoying the benefits of elastic scaling.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

With 18TB of capacity, this drive is ideal for backup and recovery operations. It can hold large datasets from multiple machines or virtual environments, helping ensure data availability in the event of a primary system failure. The enterprise-grade durability makes it a trusted choice for cold storage and nearline storage tiers.

Big Data Analytics and Data Lakes

In analytics and big data scenarios, the ability to store vast amounts of data in a single drive helps simplify infrastructure management. Enterprises running large-scale databases, machine learning workflows, or data lakes benefit from the massive capacity and dependable performance of the DC HC555 0B48723 model.

Media and Entertainment Workflows

Video post-production, broadcasting, and content delivery networks (CDNs) require fast and reliable storage for large video files. The 18TB Ultrastar drive offers the capacity and throughput required to handle 4K/8K footage, extensive raw image libraries, and other demanding media workloads.

Advanced Features of the 0B48723 HC555 Drive

Beyond just storage capacity, the Ultrastar DC HC555 0B48723 includes several technological advancements that ensure top-tier performance and data integrity in complex enterprise environments.

Dual-Stage Actuator Technology

By using a dual-stage actuator system, the drive achieves greater precision in positioning the read/write head, which improves data access speeds and reliability. This is especially important in high-vibration environments where consistent performance is critical.

Rotational Vibration Safeguards

Rotational vibration sensors monitor environmental factors and dynamically adjust the drive's operation to maintain optimal performance. This is crucial in multi-drive systems where vibration from neighboring drives can otherwise degrade read/write accuracy.

Error Recovery and Data Protection

Western Digital includes sophisticated error correction algorithms and power loss protection features to minimize the risk of data loss. These mechanisms detect and correct bit errors in real time, ensuring that stored data maintains its integrity over long periods.

Advanced Format 512e Sector Technology

The 512e (512-byte emulation) sector format balances backward compatibility with legacy systems while allowing more efficient data storage and error correction in newer infrastructure. It provides higher storage efficiency without requiring major software or hardware upgrades.

Mechanical Specifications

Understanding the mechanical structure of the 0B48723 drive provides insight into why it stands out in enterprise storage applications.

Form Factor and Physical Dimensions

The 3.5-inch form factor is widely supported across enterprise servers, NAS units, and JBOD enclosures. The drive measures approximately 147mm x 101.6mm x 26.1mm and weighs around 1.5 pounds, making it compact yet highly dense in terms of storage volume.

Spindle Speed and Data Throughput

The 7,200 RPM spindle speed allows for sustained transfer rates of up to 270 MB/s, ensuring that large volumes of data can be read or written quickly. This makes it ideal for batch processing, high-volume backups, and fast access to archival data.

Security and Compliance Considerations

In regulated industries or security-conscious enterprises, data protection is a top concern. The Ultrastar 0B48723 includes multiple layers of security and compliance options.

Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) Models

While the standard model features software-based security measures, Western Digital also offers SED variants of the HC555, which support hardware-level encryption compliant with TCG Enterprise standards. This ensures end-to-end data protection, even if the physical drive is compromised.

SATA Secure Erase Capability

The drive supports Secure Erase features that allow IT administrators to permanently delete data using commands built into the firmware. This is useful when decommissioning drives or repurposing them across departments or clients.

Operational Resilience and Longevity

The Ultrastar DC HC555 series is engineered to perform reliably in enterprise-class environments for many years, making it a cost-effective long-term investment.

Workload Rating

Rated for workloads of up to 550TB per year, the 0B48723 model can comfortably support intensive operations such as transactional processing, large-scale data movement, and continuous monitoring applications without degradation.

Long-Term Durability and UBER

The drive boasts an Unrecoverable Bit Error Rate (UBER) of less than 1 in 10¹⁵, ensuring an extremely low risk of uncorrected data corruption. Combined with its 5-year limited warranty, it is clearly built to last in critical business environments.

Why Choose the Western Digital 0B48723 Ultrastar DC HC555?

This model strikes the perfect balance between capacity, efficiency, and reliability. Whether you’re managing a high-performance data center, building a media storage repository, or architecting a long-term archival solution, the 18TB 0B48723 hard drive offers performance and longevity that outperform standard consumer-grade drives.

Key Advantages at a Glance

• Massive 18TB capacity in a standard 3.5-inch form factor
• Advanced HelioSeal technology for lower TCO
• Enterprise-class 7,200 RPM speed with 512MB cache
• SATA 6Gbps interface for broad compatibility
• Workload rating of 550TB/year and 2.5M hours MTBF
• Rotational vibration safeguards and dual-stage actuators
• Optional SED variants for enhanced data security