October 21 marks World Photonics Day, a celebration of the science and engineering of light. While photonics is often associated with telecommunications, semiconductors and advanced research, it also plays a critical role inside one of the most important technologies of the AI era: the hard drive.
At Seagate, photonics is helping redefine what’s possible in mass-capacity storage. Through decades of innovation in nanophotonics, semiconductor lasers and advanced manufacturing, Seagate has integrated light-based technologies into its Mozaic® platform, enabling a new generation of hard drives designed to meet growing global demand for data storage.
The foundation of this innovation is heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). Within every Mozaic drive, an integrated nanophotonic laser delivers a precise burst of light that momentarily alters the magnetic properties of the recording media, allowing data to be written at far greater densities than previously possible. This breakthrough allows Seagate to continue increasing areal density and drive capacity while improving storage efficiency for customers.
Seagate’s commitment to photonics extends beyond product innovation. The company operates one of the world’s leading photonics and advanced manufacturing centers in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, where teams develop semiconductor lasers and advanced recording technologies that support future generations of data storage.
Throughout 2026, Seagate leaders have also shared the company’s photonics vision with the broader industry. At Optica’s Global Photonics Economic Forum in Málaga, Spain, Seagate CTO John Morris highlighted the growing importance of photonics, semiconductors and AI infrastructure, while Seagate experts participated in discussions on photonics as a foundational semiconductor technology.
As AI accelerates the creation and value of data, innovations in photonics will become increasingly important to the world’s digital infrastructure. The ability to harness light at a nanoscopic scale is helping Seagate push storage capacity further, helping customers store, retain and unlock value from more data than ever before.
On this World Photonics Day, Seagate celebrates the engineers, scientists and innovators advancing the science of light and the role photonics plays in helping power the data-driven future.
Learn more about what goes into Seagate hard drives.
