Seagate is joining the race to get perpendicular disc drives ready for market. The firm joins Toshiba and Hitachi Global Storage who have both previously announced research into the storage method.

A spokesman for the firm told El Reg: "We are working on this technology and expect products by the end of the year."

The technology increases the capacity of hard drives. Data is stored vertically rather than just horizontally on individual discs.

Seagate vice president of sales Randy Lee said, according to IDG, "We invest between eight and ten per cent of our revenue each quarter on R&D and we have invested in perpendicular technology for many years...We will be one of the first...to introduce this to production."

Toshiba has promised perpendicular drives in the third quarter of 2005 so the race is now on to see who gets to market first.®

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