Seagate Launches FireCuda Forge Hybrid Drive with User-Provided SSD

Seagate has released the FireCuda Forge, a line of external hard drives that merges traditional spinning platters with a solid-state drive supplied by the customer. The hardware debuted on Tuesday and is immediately available for purchase through the company's online store. This configuration marks the first product powered by Seagate's new Alkemi intelligent storage platform, which manages the data flow between the two storage mediums.

The device is sold in two capacity tiers: an 8TB model priced at $699 and a 20TB model at $899. Neither price includes the necessary solid-state component, meaning buyers must purchase a compatible M.2 2280 NVMe drive separately. To function, the add-on SSD must support PCIe Gen3 or faster interfaces and cannot exceed 1TB in total capacity. The drive must also sustain minimum read speeds of 2,400MB/s and write speeds of 2,000MB/s, with a DRAM cache unit recommended for optimal performance.

Seagate reports that the combined system achieves read speeds of 2,500MB/s and write speeds of 2,000MB/s. The drive connects via USB4 and operates on Windows 11 and macOS 26 or newer versions. By limiting the fast NVMe portion to 1TB, the design prioritizes the large capacity of the mechanical drive while using the SSD to handle frequently accessed files.

The launch arrives as storage prices climb sharply following a period of low costs earlier in the decade. Data from Tom's Hardware indicates that solid-state drive prices have reached two to three times their historic lows due to demand from the artificial intelligence sector. Mechanical drives have also seen price increases; a 24TB Seagate Exos drive that cost $298.99 in the summer of 2025 is now listed for $699.99 as of August 2026, according to PCServerParts.

The FireCuda Forge is currently in stock on the Seagate website. Customers must select a compatible NVMe drive that meets the speed and capacity requirements before connecting it to the unit.