Former World’s Strongest Man and Game of Thrones star Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson has achieved what might be the most expensive deadlift in history, hoisting nearly half a tonne of high-end solid-state drives (SSDs).
Björnsson, famously known for his role as The Mountain in HBO’s hit series, partnered with hard drive manufacturer Phison and data storage developer VDURA for this remarkable feat. The strongman successfully lifted 996 pounds of Phison’s latest 128 terabyte SSDs, demonstrating that he hasn’t lost his impressive strength since winning the World’s Strongest Man title in 2019.
While the lift itself wasn’t close to breaking any weight records, the value of the equipment involved is staggering. The demonstration included 2,303 SSDs, with each unit expected to retail for approximately $14,000 upon release, according to TechRadar’s estimates. This pricing is based on current market rates, where SSDs typically sell for between $40-$90 per terabyte.
When calculating the total value of the equipment involved, the numbers become astronomical. The combined worth of all SSDs used in the lift amounts to approximately $32,242,000, potentially making it the most valuable deadlift ever performed – unless someone has previously lifted an equivalent weight in precious metals or gems.
The impressive display wasn’t just about the monetary value – the combined storage capacity of all the SSDs totaled 282 petabytes of data. However, this feat might not be Björnsson’s most valuable lift to date. During his 2019 World’s Strongest Man competition, he pulled a 44,000-pound aircraft valued at around $250,000,000.
Björnsson has maintained his connection to the tech world since his Game of Thrones days, previously expressing his enthusiasm for CS:GO and revealing himself as a viewer of popular content creator Asmongold.
