Microsoft invented robots that disassemble defective
or worn-out hard disk drives, potentially by the millions, to recycle those
valuable materials. At the 2022 Global Hackathon, a team created robots that dismantle hard drives, destroy data by destroying
platters, and recycle the remaining parts to extract valuable materials,
avoiding the current practice of shredding entire hard drives. The robotic
system uses computer vision to recognize different HDD types and locate screws
for disassembly. It carefully removes components, destroying only the
data-carrying platters, while salvaging parts like magnets and printed circuit
boards for reuse. Microsoft uses dozens of different hard drive models at its
data centers, and most of them place screws in different places, so Microsoft
certainly had to implement some kind of AI to dismantle and recycle its HDDs
using robots made by Dobot Robotics.
Around 20 to 70 million hard drives reach the
end of their lifecycle each year, and in 2022 alone, Microsoft shredded two
million hard drives. It is unclear whether the number includes shredded and
dismantled/recycled HDDs or just shredded drives, as even at Microsoft, not all
HDDs are recycled. According to Microsoft, this new 'NoShred' approach aims to
achieve a 90% reuse and recycle rate of hard drives by 2025. The robots ensure
data security by destroying only the data-carrying components while recovering
valuable materials like neodymium. It should be noted that in many cases,
companies that are supposed to shred their drives do not do that, and these end
up collecting dust in storage rooms or going to scrapyards. Microsoft's efforts
extend beyond internal improvements. The company is working with hard drive
manufacturers and governments to influence global e-waste management policies.
More information:
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/hdds/microsoft-uses-robots-to-disassemble-and-recycle-hdds-company-typically-shreds-two-million-hard-drives-per-year