AI engineering glossary · Computing foundations
What is HDD (hard disk drive)?
Hard disk drive (also called HDD): A storage device that records data magnetically on spinning platters read by a moving head. It is cheap for large capacities but slower than flash, especially for random access, so it suits archives and backups better than active workloads.
Hard disk drive: an example
A 4 TB hard disk is a cheap place to keep old video recordings and backups.
Related terms
More Computing foundations terms
Where you learn it
Hard disk drive is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.