Backblaze Reports Q1 2025 Hard Drive Reliability: High-Capacity Drives Excel, Four Models Record Zero Failures

Backblaze Publishes Q1 2025 Drive Stats Report Highlighting Hard Drive Reliability Trends SAN MATEO, Calif. — Backblaze, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLZE), a leader in cloud storage technology, recently released its Q1 2025 Drive Stats report. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the performance and reliability of 317,833 hard drives used in Backblaze's global data centers, which collectively manage over four exabytes of customer data. Since 2013, Backblaze has maintained the industry's largest publicly accessible dataset on hard drive reliability, covering over 450 billion drive days of operation. This latest installment highlights key insights across various drive manufacturers, models, and capacities. Among the significant findings is the flawless performance of four drive models in the first quarter, which recorded zero failures. These models include a 4TB HGST drive and three Seagate models with capacities of 8TB, 12TB, and 14TB. Additionally, the report notes an impressive trend in high-capacity drives (20TB+), which boast a combined annualized failure rate (AFR) of 0.72%, well below the overall fleet average. However, the company acknowledges that these drives are relatively new, having been in operation for less than a year, which may contribute to their current high reliability. Gleb Budman, CEO of Backblaze, commented, "As a leading cloud storage company, we are committed to transparency and continuous improvement. Our 300,000-plus hard drives support over four exabytes of customer data, and we are proud to share the insights we've gained over nearly two decades of data management. This report not only helps us but also assists other companies and individuals in making informed decisions about their storage solutions." To optimize data collection and analysis, Backblaze utilized its B2 Cloud Storage solution along with Snowflake and Trino. This new process enabled the company to run lightweight queries against cached, structured tables, demonstrating the effectiveness of these tools in managing large datasets. The Q1 2025 report presents AFR statistics for 26 different drive models, with the overall quarterly failure rate rising slightly from 1.35% to 1.42%. Despite this increase, the data shows that some drive models continue to excel in reliability. All data from the report is available for free download in raw file format on the Backblaze Hard Drive Test Data page. This transparency allows cloud storage and IT professionals, as well as researchers, to conduct their own analyses and draw independent conclusions. About Backblaze Backblaze is a cloud storage innovator that offers a modern alternative to traditional cloud service providers. The company provides high-performance, secure cloud object storage for a variety of applications, including application development, media management, secure backups, AI workflows, and protection against ransomware. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in San Mateo, California, Backblaze serves over 500,000 customers across 175 countries. By enabling customers to use their data in open cloud workflows with preferred providers, Backblaze aims to break down the barriers imposed by conventional walled-garden models, all at a significantly lower cost. For more information about Backblaze, visit www.backblaze.com.