Center for Memory and Recording Research

SEMINAR
Wedbesday Novemver 9, 2016
2:00PM Seminar - JKW Auditorium, CMRR Building
TITLE: ZOOMING in on data storage and the HDD
SPEAKER: Roger Wood, Western Digital, San Jose CA
DATE: Wednesday November 9, 2016
PLACE: Jack Keil Wolf (JKW) Auditorium, CMRR Building
TIME: Refreshments 1:30 PM
Lecture 2:00 PM
HOST: Professor Frank E. Talke

Abstract: Get ready for a wild ride starting with the vast distances of outer space and ending with the tiny

distances that separate atoms. For a very different perspective on data storage, each slide in the presentation
looks at things on a scale that is a factor of ten smaller than the previous slide. The common thread is the
technology of information storage. Information storage is what defines human history and it is the machinereadable data storage developed in the last half-century that provides the foundation of the modern
information age. More than anything, data storage implies magnetic recording and the hard disk drive. The
humble Hard Disk Drive contains such exquisite technologies and operates at such astounding precision
that it almost defies belief. Yet, our industry churns out these devices by the hundreds of millions and sells
them for a few tens of dollars each. Please enjoy this light-hearted logarithmic romp through storage
technology from interstellar space to interatomic spacings.
This is a repeat of the talk given in June at the annual ASME ISPS banquet in Santa Clara, California. The
talk is non-confidential.
Biography: Dr. Roger Wood hails originally from the UK and holds degrees from London University and

the University of British Columbia. He is currently a Fellow with Western Digital in San Jose, California.
Dr. Wood has a long history in the Magnetic Recording industry starting at Ampex in 1979, moving to IBM
in 1986, to Hitachi in 2003, and to Western Digital in 2012. In 1996, he enjoyed a year at the Data Storage
Institute, Singapore. In 2003-2004, he was fortunate to take an assignment in Odawara, Japan. At Ampex,
Dr. Wood was the inspiration behind the introduction of the first PRML channel. At Hitachi, he led the
advanced development effort on perpendicular recording. Dr. Wood is perhaps best known for predicting
that conventional magnetic recording would be limited to about 1 Tbit/in2. To extend magnetic recording
on conventional granular media, he proposed TDMR, an approach now being actively pursued by
industry. Dr. Wood's interests include magnetism, magnetic recording, signal-processing, and mechanical
dynamics. He holds 27 US patents and is an author on over 90 journal papers. Dr. Wood is an IEEE Fellow
and was the recipient of the 2009 Magnetics Society Achievement Award.