Week 18 Tech Roundup – WD & Seagate Beat Earnings, Samsung Doubles Down on AI Memory, ASUSTOR Slams Lock-In, Unraid 7.1 Hits RC3

Week 18 of 2025 delivered a powerhouse mix of financial milestones, SSD breakthroughs, and escalating industry tensions over vendor lock-in. Western Digital and Seagate beat expectations with strong Q3 earnings, underscoring the growing demand for nearline HDDs and cloud storage. Meanwhile, Samsung showcased an AI-centric roadmap with aggressive HBM3E and DDR5 expansion, signaling memory’s pivotal role in next-gen servers and edge devices.

The NAS world buzzed with controversy as ASUSTOR doubled down on its open hardware stance, drawing a sharp contrast with Synology’s deepening drive restrictions in the DSx25+ series. Unraid OS 7.1.0-rc3 also went live, improving GUI boot support, VM reliability, and fixing key ZFS issues.

From cutting-edge PCIe Gen 5 SSDs to Proxmox celebrating 20 years of open-source excellence, Week 18 was a full-spectrum reminder: storage is not only evolving rapidly—it’s becoming a battleground of openness, performance, and AI readiness.

1. Western Digital Reports Strong Q3 2025, Declares Dividend

Western Digital posted $2.3 billion in revenue for Q3 FY2025, with gross margins exceeding 40%—the highest in years. Cloud storage remains its primary driver, accounting for 87% of revenue, despite a slight sequential dip due to reduced nearline HDD shipments. Pricing per unit rose 5%, affirming nearline HDD demand.

• Dividend program launched: $0.10/share payout starts June 2025

• Separation from SanDisk finalized: Flash business now fully independent

• Operating cash flow: $508 million

• Total liquidity: $3.48 billion in cash and equivalents

With nearline HDD bit shipments still rising YoY and enterprise refresh cycles kicking in, WD is poised to dominate the high-capacity HDD segment through 2025.

2. Seagate Delivers Revenue Beat, Highlights HAMR Ramp-Up

Seagate’s Q3 FY2025 financials showed $2.16 billion in revenue and $1.90 in non-GAAP EPS, hitting the upper end of guidance. The company emphasized its structural cost improvements and lean inventory management amid strong demand for mass-capacity storage.

• HAMR development accelerating to meet AI and cloud provider demand

• $152M returned to shareholders via dividends

• Debt reduction: $536 million paid down

• Q4 outlook: $2.40B revenue, EPS guidance at $2.40 ± $0.20

Seagate’s laser focus on HAMR scaling in 2025 suggests it’s positioning for next-gen AI data centers and hyperscale deployments.

3. Samsung Q1 2025 Results: AI Memory, HBM3E, and Foldables Drive Growth

Samsung posted record Q1 revenue of KRW 79.14 trillion, driven by Galaxy S25 flagship sales and server-centric memory products. Despite headwinds in the DS Division, operating profit rose to KRW 6.7 trillion.

• Memory Division (DS): Focused on AI server DRAM, ramping up HBM3E 12H and 128GB+ DDR5

• System LSI: Gained SoC traction and expanded 200MP sensor adoption

• Foundry: Preparing for 2nm mass production in H2, with orders in AI and HPC verticals

• SDC Display: Growth in QD-OLEDs, gaming monitors, and foldables

Samsung’s full-stack AI positioning—from mobile LPDDR5x to 2nm foundry and visual AI hardware—cements its dominance across edge-to-cloud AI systems.

4. ASUSTOR Doubles Down on Open NAS Philosophy

Amid increasing community backlash over Synology’s restrictive hard drive policies, ASUSTOR released a public statement reaffirming its unlocked, open-hardware stance.

• No vendor lock-in: ASUSTOR NAS supports any compatible HDD/SSD without feature loss

• 3rd-party OS support: Users can install alternate OSes, extending product lifespan

• Eco-friendly ethos: No forced obsolescence due to discontinued in-house drives

This bold move directly contrasts with Synology’s DS925+, where users reported complete blockages and warnings for using non-Synology HDDs. The industry is increasingly polarized between freedom and control—and ASUSTOR is staking its claim on the user’s side.

5. Kingston & Lexar Roll Out PCIe 5.0 SSDs with SM2508 Controllers

Both Kingston and Lexar launched their next-gen PCIe Gen 5 NVMe SSDs, using Silicon Motion’s new SM2508 controller. Performance reaches up to:

• 14,800 MB/s read, 13,000+ MB/s write

• 2.2M IOPS in 4K random workloads

• Lower power draw vs Phison E26-based SSDs

These SSDs are ideal for gamers, prosumers, and AI inference platforms. Kingston’s Fury Renegade G5 and Lexar’s NM1090 Pro are early indicators that Gen 5 storage is finally entering the mainstream.

6. Unraid 7.1.0-rc3 Released with Major Stability Fixes

Unraid OS 7.1.0-rc3 resolves a critical regression in Docker and VM performance related to ZFS-backed loop devices.

New features include:

• GUI boot mode for VMs with QXL video driver

• Improved diagnostics anonymization

• Wi-Fi WPA3 prioritization

• File manager enhancements for easier unassigned disk copying

• Dashboard auto-reloading with smart refresh logic

This release inches Unraid closer to stable 7.1, delivering meaningful usability and performance upgrades for self-hosting enthusiasts and pros alike.

7. TerraMaster TOS6 Beta Introduces Dynamic System Disk Management

TerraMaster’s new TOS6.0.685 beta introduces a long-requested feature: dynamic system disk modification. Users can now add, remove, or migrate system disks post-install—enhancing flexibility, longevity, and disaster recovery.

• Upgraded network stack with TPT penetration

• IPv6 gateway fixes

• Real-time remote access stability monitoring

• Expanded TNAS.online access methods

These updates reinforce TerraMaster’s bid for enterprise and prosumer trust in a rapidly evolving NAS landscape.

8. Proxmox Celebrates 20 Years of Open-Source Virtualization

Proxmox marked its 20th anniversary, reflecting on a journey that brought containerized virtualization (LXC) and KVM hypervisors together in a seamless platform. With 1.5 million hosts managed globally and new tools like Proxmox Datacenter Manager, it’s cementing itself as the de facto open alternative to VMware by Broadcom.

Key milestones:

• ZFS + Ceph integration

• Subscription model and enterprise support

• Rust-based Backup Server

• Alpha of Datacenter Manager GUI

In an era of rising costs and vendor lock-in, Proxmox is delivering freedom, transparency, and control to IT admins and homelabbers worldwide.

9. Innodisk Unveils PCIe Gen 5 SSDs for Data Centers

Innodisk officially launched its first PCIe Gen 5 SSD lineup, optimized for AI model training, big data analytics, and other high-throughput applications. Built to meet OCP Data Center NVMe SSD spec v2.0, these SSDs come in U.2, E1.S, E3.S, and the new E3.L form factors—offering up to 128TB capacities.

Key features:

• 14 GB/s read, 10 GB/s write throughput

• NVMe-MI support for multi-namespace management

• Secure Boot & firmware-level protection

• VMware-ready integration

These SSDs mark Innodisk’s aggressive move into enterprise flash markets, offering high-speed, scalable storage with security features tailored for hyperscale data centers and AI workflows.

10. ASUS ZenWiFi BD4 Outdoor Mesh Brings Wi-Fi 7 to the Garden

ASUS launched the ZenWiFi BD4 Outdoor, a Wi-Fi 7 mesh system purpose-built for patios, security cameras, and backyard IoT zones. Rated for up to 3600 Mbps speeds at over 2500 feet of range, this IP65-rated unit is waterproof, dustproof, and engineered for four-season durability.

Top highlights:

• Dual 2.5G PoE-in ports, PoE+ power support

• Multi-Link Operation (MLO) and 4K-QAM

• Smart Home Master SSID separation for IoT and VPN

• Triple-level security with AiProtection Pro

Designed to extend high-performance mesh coverage outdoors, the ZenWiFi BD4 Outdoor helps bridge the last mile of smart home and smart surveillance deployments with extreme weather resilience.

11. Kingston’s Fury Renegade G5 SSD Hits Market with Premium Price

After weeks of leaks, Kingston officially revealed the pricing of its Fury Renegade G5 SSD, a high-performance PCIe 5.0 NVMe drive powered by the SM2508 controller. It competes with Samsung’s 9100 Pro and Crucial’s T705, but comes at a premium:

• 1TB: $203.99 / £182.16

• 2TB: $329.99 / £295.92

• 4TB: $629.99 / £563.04

Despite its high price tag, the drive offers top-tier performance (up to 14.8 GB/s) and low power draw, aimed at gamers, creators, and AI workstation users.

12. Lexar Expands PCIe Gen 5 SSD Lineup for Pros and Gamers

Lexar joined the PCIe Gen 5 wave with two new SSDs:

• NM1090 Pro – Up to 14,000 MB/s read and 13,000 MB/s write, featuring DRAM and SLC caching.

• NQ780 – A PCIe Gen 4 model with 7000/6000 MB/s speeds and power-saving tech for laptops.

Both models include Lexar DiskMaster software for firmware updates and drive health monitoring. With 1TB to 4TB capacities, Lexar’s new SSDs target gamers, creators, and workstation professionals who demand ultra-low latency and responsive performance.

13. Netstor NS388P: PCIe 4.0 NVMe JBOF with 24 Drive Slots and Dual Switch

Netstor introduced the NS388P, a 2U all-flash NVMe JBOF (Just a Bunch Of Flash) storage enclosure designed for PCIe Gen 4.0 ultra-low-latency applications in data centers.

Key features:

• Supports 24x U.2 NVMe SSDs

• 256Gbps bandwidth via dual-switch PCIe interface

• Models: NS388P-D2 (dual-port) and NS388P-S4 (single-port)

• Failover support for power supply and storage

With support for up to 6 server hosts simultaneously, the NS388P brings high-density flash storage to scale-out cloud infrastructure, edge computing clusters, and HPC environments.

14. Proxmox Turns 20, Launches Datacenter Manager Alpha

Open-source virtualization leader Proxmox celebrated its 20th anniversary with new milestones:

• Over 1.5 million hosts managed globally

• Expansion of partner network to 142+ countries

• Introduction of Proxmox Datacenter Manager (Alpha) for multi-cluster management

The company reaffirmed its commitment to ZFS, Ceph, containerized workloads (LXC), and KVM. As VMware transitions under Broadcom, Proxmox has emerged as a top choice for organizations seeking a transparent, cost-effective alternative in the virtualization stack.

15. Unraid OS 7.1.0-rc3 Fixes ZFS Bug, Enhances VM Boot Options

Following issues in the rc.2 build, Unraid 7.1.0-rc3 was released with kernel regression fixes, notably resolving Docker/VM hang-ups when loopback image files reside on ZFS volumes.

Enhancements include:

• GUI-mode boot for VMs

• Improved diagnostics anonymization

• Wi-Fi WPA3 & Enterprise support

• Cleaner dashboard reload logic

With QXL video support for VM GUI mode and expanded networking features, rc.3 is a near-final build, refining the polish ahead of the 7.1 stable release. Perfect for power users and homelab enthusiasts.

16. TerraMaster Beta Introduces Dynamic Disk Management & Faster TNAS Access

TerraMaster’s TOS 6.0.685 beta adds transformative features to its TNAS platform:

• Dynamic system disk management – Add/move/remove system disks post-deployment

• Enhanced TNAS.online access with real-time link status monitoring

• Advanced IPv6 support with reworked default gateway logic

This release resolves key pain points in scalability and remote access, especially for professional users managing evolving storage infrastructure. It also introduces TerraMaster Punching Technology (TPT) to improve remote speed and stability.

17. Synology Lock-In Backlash Grows as DSx25+ Users Face Drive Restrictions

Controversy continues over Synology’s increasingly aggressive drive compatibility enforcement, especially on the DS925+ and DSx25+ series.

Key issues:

• Using non-Synology drives triggers error messages, warnings, and complete inability to create volumes

• Even Western Digital Red and Seagate IronWolf drives are blocked

• Third-party scripts (e.g., 007revad) are being used to bypass restrictions

In contrast, SSDs are not yet restricted, but Synology’s policy shift has drawn ire from the NAS community and media. ASUSTOR, TerraMaster, and other vendors are capitalizing on the discontent by emphasizing openness, compatibility, and user freedom.

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