Seagate Technology is developing ultra-high density storage architectures that it claims will eventually be able to achieve data storage densities of 50Tb per square inch or more.

The firm plans to use a technology called Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) to make the breakthrough.

HAMR technology will, Seagate claimed, significantly extend the capacity of modern magnetic disc drives to read and write digital data onto spinning platters.

The technique achieves higher densities by using a laser beam or other energy source to heat the recording medium at the same time that data bits are being recorded.

"HAMR technology will also achieve its high area densities at a cost structure on pace with the hard disc drives of today, making it a key enabling storage technology that will allow the adoption of mass storage to continue to enter emerging markets," the company said.

Seagate estimates that HAMR technology will initially be used in disc drive devices at densities of 1Tb per square inch, with a time to market of approximately 2010.

The company pointed out that, at densities of 50Tb per square inch, more than 3.5 million high-resolution photos, 2,800 audio CDs, 1,600 hours of television, or the entire printed collection of the US Library of Congress could be stored onto recording media about the size of a single coin, such as a UK 50p piece (30.6mm).

"The pursuit of key technologies such as HAMR is part of Seagate's long-term strategy to maintain its position as the leader in storage to ultimately satisfy the needs of our customers today and tomorrow," said Bill Watkins, Seagate president and chief operating officer.