Upthere
2017
Why
Cloud storage startup acquired for consumer storage software.
Western Digital Corporation
Hard disk drives and data-center storageFounded 1970- HQ today: San Jose, California, United States
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026
Acquisitions
Western Digital Acquisitions
5
Major Deals Covered
$20.3B
Disclosed Deal Value
What are Western Digital's biggest acquisitions?
Western Digital's largest disclosed acquisition here is SanDisk for $16B in 2016. This page covers 5 major deals from 2007 to 2017, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.
- Major deals covered
- 5
- Largest deal
- SanDisk ($16B)
- First deal
- 2007
- Most recent
- 2017
| Company | Year | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Komag | 2007 | Undisclosed | Brought magnetic media production in-house. |
| Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) | 2012 | $4.3B | Added Hitachi's enterprise and high-capacity drive business. The deal was valued at about $4.3 billion in cash and stock when announced in 2011. |
| SanDisk | 2016 | $16.0B | Added NAND flash and SSDs. The business was later spun off as Sandisk Corporation in February 2025. |
| Upthere | 2017 | Undisclosed | Cloud storage startup acquired for consumer storage software. |
| Tegile Systems | 2017 | Undisclosed | Flash storage array maker acquired for its data-center systems business. |
- What companies has Western Digital bought?
- Major acquisitions by Western Digital documented here include SanDisk (2016), Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) (2012), Upthere (2017), Tegile Systems (2017) and Komag (2007).
- What is Western Digital's most recent acquisition?
- The most recent Western Digital acquisition documented here is Upthere, in 2017.
Tegile Systems
2017
Why
Flash storage array maker acquired for its data-center systems business.
SanDisk
2016
$16.0B
Why
Added NAND flash and SSDs. The business was later spun off as Sandisk Corporation in February 2025.
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST)
2012
$4.3B
Why
Added Hitachi's enterprise and high-capacity drive business. The deal was valued at about $4.3 billion in cash and stock when announced in 2011.
Komag
2007
Why
Brought magnetic media production in-house.
Western Digital Corporation's Growth & Acquisition Strategy
The company is concentrating on higher-capacity drives for cloud customers, long-term supply agreements, margin expansion, and capital returns through dividends and share repurchases. It has also used its retained Sandisk shares to reduce debt and retire its own stock.
How Western Digital Corporation Makes Money
Western Digital makes money by designing, manufacturing, and selling hard disk drives. Most revenue now comes from high-capacity nearline drives bought by hyperscale cloud providers and large enterprises to store large volumes of data at a low cost per terabyte. Smaller shares come from client drives and consumer storage products. Revenue depends on exabytes shipped and on pricing, which the company has tied more closely to long-term customer agreements. Until February 21, 2025, the company also owned a NAND flash business; that unit was spun off as Sandisk Corporation, and its results are reported as discontinued operations for earlier periods.
Western Digital Acquisitions FAQ
What was the most important acquisition in Western Digital's HDD history?
The March 2012 acquisition of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) for $4.3 billion in cash and stock fundamentally transformed Western Digital into the dominant enterprise drive manufacturer.
What technology did HGST introduce that revolutionized hard drives?
HGST developed the world's first hermetically sealed, helium-filled hard drives (HelioSeal), allowing thinner platters and lower aerodynamic drag, which became standard for all modern nearline drives.
What was the $16 billion acquisition of SanDisk in 2016?
In May 2016, Western Digital acquired flash storage giant SanDisk for approximately $16 billion, combining hard drive manufacturing with flash memory and SSD production.
Why did Western Digital spin off the SanDisk business in 2025?
Due to distinct capital structures and conflicting investor demand between cyclical flash fabs and cash-generative HDDs, Western Digital separated SanDisk as an independent public company in February 2025.
What was the strategic importance of acquiring Komag in 2007?
In September 2007, Western Digital acquired Komag for $1.0 billion, securing in-house manufacturing of thin-film magnetic disk media (platters) and ensuring supply chain self-sufficiency.
How did the 1988 acquisition of Tandon launch Western Digital into hard drives?
Western Digital purchased the hard drive assets of Tandon Corporation for roughly $49 million in 1988, taking Western Digital from a chip controller supplier to a full hard drive manufacturer.
What software acquisitions did Western Digital make in 2017?
In 2017, Western Digital acquired cloud personal storage startup Upthere and all-flash storage array company Tegile Systems to bolster its enterprise systems and software portfolio.
How did Chinese antitrust regulators (MOFCOM) affect the HGST integration?
China's MOFCOM required Western Digital and HGST to maintain separate operations and sales forces for over three years before finally granting full operational integration approval in late 2015.
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