IBM Unveils Disk Drive With More Storage

International Business Machines Corp. said it developed a computer hard disk drive that can store three times as much information as the most advanced models now available. The new drive can store 5 billion bits, or 5 gigabits, of data per square inch of disk space. The figure equates to the text of 312,500 double-spaced typewritten pages of text, or 625 full-length novels. The drives won’t be available to consumers for a few years. The development comes as consumers and businesses are storing more information on computers, fueling demand for ever greater and more compact electronic storage capacity. IBM, the world’s largest disk drive maker with operations in San Jose, said its new drive is roughly three times as dense as its Travelstar VP drive, which stores about 1.5 gigabits of data per square inch.