Microsoft gets smart about HDD recycling with robots that extract valuable metals [Video]

The big picture: After their lifespan has run its course, those spinning disk platters filled with our digital data must be properly dismantled and shredded to prevent information leaks. Microsoft’s data centers also rely on HDDs. However, instead of simply feeding them into industrial shredders once they reach end of life, the company is adopting a smarter approach. It’s introducing robots that meticulously deconstruct each drive, extracting the data platters for shredding while salvaging other reusable components.

A staggering amount of e-waste is generated by hard drives every year, with up to 70 million of them mindlessly shredded in their entirety. This results in the loss of valuable metals like neodymium, aluminum, and stainless steel. Microsoft aims to change that with this new technique.

The idea first emerged from a 2022 Microsoft hackathon focused on sustainable disk disposal. It’s the …