Seagate Launches Hybrid Drive Line
The new FireCuda Forge requires users to supply their own NVMe SSD, a cost that has risen sharply due to AI demand.
By Oliver Bennett ·
Seagate released the FireCuda Forge on Tuesday, a storage device that merges a mechanical hard drive with a user-supplied solid-state drive. This marks the company’s first product powered by the Alkemi intelligent storage platform.
The drives are available in 8TB and 20TB configurations. The 8TB model costs $699, while the 20TB version is priced at $899. Neither option includes the required SSD. Buyers must purchase a compatible M.2 2280 NVMe drive separately.
Specifications limit the SSD to PCIe Gen3 or higher speeds with a maximum capacity of 1TB. The drive must achieve minimum read speeds of 2,400 MB/s and write speeds of 2,000 MB/s. Seagate states the combined system reaches 2,500 MB/s read and 2,000 MB/s write speeds.
The product connects via USB4 and supports Windows 11 and macOS 26+. A DRAM cache is recommended for optimal performance. The device targets users who need high capacity without the current price of large solid-state drives.
Storage costs have risen sharply in recent months. Tom’s Hardware data shows some solid-state drives now cost two to three times their historic lows. Mechanical drives have also increased in price. A Seagate Exos 24TB drive sold for $298.99 in summer 2025. By August 2026, the same model was listed at $699.99 by PCServerParts.
