HDD Innovation Lab

The HDD Innovation Lab in Düsseldorf is a specialised testing and evaluation centre. It supports customers and partners in Europe and the Middle East in finding the optimal HDD configuration for large-scale applications such as NAS, surveillance systems, and cloud storage. Through real-world testing, it ensures storage solutions operate efficiently and reliably.

The lab offers a range of services, including:

Performance Benchmarking: Comparison of different setups to optimize efficiency.

Loan Sample Programs: Providing Toshiba hard drives for on-site testing at the customer’s location.

Proof-of-Concept: Support in evaluating specific system requirements within a modern testing environment.

Detailed Reports: Creation of comprehensive test protocols and recommendations.

Yes. The lab possesses an extensive component library with various servers, JBoD (Just a Bunch of Disk enclosures), and Host Bus Adapters and RAID controllers. Additionally, tests can be conducted with various operating systems and storage software solutions to verify the flexibility of HDD configurations under real-world conditions.

Customers primarily benefit from:

Higher System Reliability: Risks are minimized through rigorous testing procedures prior to rollout.

Expert Support: Direct access to the deep technical knowledge of the Toshiba team.

Improved Efficiency: Maximizing storage capacity and optimizing utilization while simultaneously reducing operating costs.

The laboratory regularly publishes reports on current technological challenges, such as:

Performance evaluations of high-density HDDs (e.g., 24TB SATA HDDs).

Power consumption comparisons between various NAS systems.

Lifespan analyses of enterprise hard drives and optimal operating conditions.

Investigations into hardware encryption (SED – Self-Encrypting Drives).

Note: If you are planning a specific project or would like to visit the laboratory in Düsseldorf, you can submit an inquiry directly via the contact form on the website.

The lab is available to Toshiba business partners, system integrators, and enterprise customers. Services include performance benchmarking, loan sample programmes, dedicated demonstrations, and detailed technical reporting tailored to each partner’s specific requirements.

The Toshiba HDD Innovation Lab validates HDD performance across complete system environments, including NAS, JBOD, RAID, and cloud architectures. Testing spans servers, Host Bus Adapters and RAID controllers, and storage software, as well as virtualised (KVM, Hyper-V, Proxmox) and containerised environments. The lab performs multi-VM workload simulations, protocol testing (SMB, NFS, iSCSI), ZFS optimisation, and long-term reliability validation to ensure optimal performance and stability in real-world use cases.

Yes. Through the Innovation Lab’s loan sample programme, business partners can access Toshiba HDDs for independent self-evaluation and testing in their own environments before committing to a purchase. This helps reduce procurement risk for large-scale deployments.

The lab produces detailed written reports covering testing results, system configurations, performance findings, and actionable recommendations. Published lab reports include topics such as high-density ZFS performance evaluations on server platforms, providing concrete benchmarking data for storage professionals.

By allowing partners to test Toshiba HDDs in configurations that closely mirror their production environments, the lab reduces reliability risks before deployment. Expert support and detailed reporting mean potential compatibility or performance issues are identified and resolved before going live.

The lab maintains a comprehensive component library including multiple server types, JBoDs, chassis, various operating systems, and storage software. This enables testing across a wide range of real-world storage scenarios, from petabyte-scale data lakes to small business NAS environments.

Engaging with the Toshiba Innovation Lab provides partners with a low-risk, high-value pathway to validate storage solutions before deployment. Instead of relying solely on specifications or theoretical performance, customers can test Toshiba HDDs in real-world configurations that closely match their intended environments.