WUH722222ALE6L1 Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC570 22TB 7.2K RPM SATA-6Gbps HDD

Overview of Western Digital WUH722222ALE6L1 22TB HDD

The Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC570 22TB enterprise hard disk drive is engineered to meet the demanding requirements of modern data centers, cloud infrastructures, and large-scale storage environments. Designed with reliability, performance, and scalability in mind, this internal 3.5-inch SATA hard drive delivers exceptional storage density while maintaining consistent throughput for mission-critical workloads.

General Information

• Manufacturer: Western Digital
• Model Number: WUH722222ALE6L1
• Product Series: Ultrastar DC HC570
• Product Type: Hard Disk Drive

Technical Specifications

• Storage Capacity : 22TB
• Enclosure : Internal
• Interface : SATA-6Gbps
• Form Factor : 3.5 Inch
• Buffer : 512 Mb 
• Rotational Speed : 7200 Rpm

The Western Digital WUH722222ALE6L1 22TB 7.2K RPM HDD

High-capacity enterprise internal hard disk drives are engineered to meet the demanding requirements of modern data-centric infrastructures. The Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC570 22TB SATA hard disk drive belongs to a specialized category of storage solutions designed for environments where reliability, scalability, and cost-efficient capacity are critical. These drives are optimized for continuous operation, high workload ratings, and long-term data retention, making them ideal for enterprise servers, hyperscale data centers, and cloud storage platforms that must manage exponential data growth without sacrificing performance stability.

Role of High-Capacity SATA HDD

Serial ATA (SATA) enterprise hard drives continue to play a vital role in data centers despite the rise of solid-state storage. Their ability to provide large volumes of storage at a competitive cost per terabyte makes them indispensable for capacity-driven applications. In hybrid infrastructures, SATA HDDs are commonly paired with SSDs, where flash storage handles latency-sensitive operations while high-capacity HDDs manage large datasets, cold data, and sequential workloads.

Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC570 Series

The Ultrastar DC HC570 series represents Western Digital’s commitment to advancing conventional magnetic recording technologies to deliver unprecedented storage capacities. Drives in this series are built to support data-intensive environments where uninterrupted operation and consistent performance are mandatory. The 22TB variant expands the boundaries of traditional HDD storage, enabling organizations to store more data within fewer physical drives.

22TB Capacity HDD

A 22TB storage capacity significantly reduces the number of drives required to achieve petabyte-scale storage. This density translates directly into operational benefits such as reduced rack space, lower power draw per terabyte, simplified cabling, and decreased cooling requirements. For enterprises managing rapid data growth from analytics, IoT, content repositories, and compliance archives, this level of capacity is essential for sustainable scaling.The Ultrastar DC HC570 22TB drive enables data centers to consolidate storage without compromising accessibility or data integrity, making it an ideal choice for long-term capacity planning.

Standard 3.5-Inch Form Factor

The 3.5-inch form factor remains the industry standard for high-capacity enterprise hard drives. It provides sufficient physical space to accommodate multiple platters, robust actuators, and advanced vibration control mechanisms. The Ultrastar DC HC570 22TB drive adheres to this standard, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of enterprise servers, storage enclosures, and JBOD systems.This form factor allows data center operators to deploy high-capacity drives within existing infrastructure, avoiding costly hardware upgrades while benefiting from increased storage density.

Internal Drive Architecture

Internally, the drive utilizes precision-engineered components designed to maintain consistent alignment and minimize wear over extended operational lifespans. Advanced spindle motors, refined head assemblies, and optimized firmware algorithms work together to deliver stable performance across diverse workloads. 

7,200 RPM Performance HDD

A rotational speed of 7,200 RPM provides an effective balance between performance and efficiency. This speed enables consistent data access times and sustained transfer rates suitable for sequential workloads, backups, and large file transfers. In enterprise settings, predictable performance is often more valuable than peak burst speeds, making 7.2K RPM drives a dependable choice.The Ultrastar DC HC570 22TB drive is optimized to deliver stable throughput even under continuous workloads, ensuring reliable data access for applications that depend on steady performance.

SATA 6Gbps Interface

The SATA 6Gbps interface ensures broad compatibility with existing enterprise and data center hardware. Many storage arrays, servers, and controllers are designed around SATA connectivity, making integration straightforward and cost-effective.By utilizing a widely adopted interface, the Ultrastar DC HC570 22TB drive enables organizations to expand storage capacity without rearchitecting their infrastructure.

Data Transfer Efficiency

SATA 6Gbps provides sufficient bandwidth for high-capacity HDDs, supporting sustained transfer rates that align with the mechanical capabilities of the drive. This ensures efficient utilization of the interface without bottlenecks in typical enterprise workloads.

512MB Cache for Enhanced Performance

A substantial 512MB cache plays a critical role in optimizing read and write operations. By temporarily storing frequently accessed data and write commands, the cache helps smooth performance fluctuations and improves overall responsiveness during sustained workloads.This feature is particularly beneficial in environments where multiple processes access large datasets simultaneously, such as backup servers and data lakes.

512e Advanced Format Technology

512e (512-byte emulation) technology combines larger physical sectors with backward compatibility. By using 4K physical sectors while emulating traditional 512-byte sectors, the drive achieves higher storage efficiency and improved error correction.This approach enhances reliability while maintaining compatibility with legacy systems and applications.

Energy Efficiency and Thermal Management

Despite its massive capacity, the Ultrastar DC HC570 22TB drive is designed to operate efficiently. Helium sealing and optimized electronics reduce power consumption per terabyte, contributing to lower operating costs.Energy efficiency is a critical factor in large-scale deployments, where even small reductions in power usage can lead to significant savings.