WD invests THB2.3bn in Thailand R&D to meet surging data centre, AI demand
Backed by BOI incentives, WD’s THB2.3bn HAMR R&D in Thailand is designed to boost HDD capacity and improve reliability and security as AI and cloud storage scale up.
- Western Digital is investing over THB2.3 billion in a research and development project in Thailand focused on Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology.
- The investment aims to increase hard disk drive (HDD) storage capacity from 32 TB to as much as 100 TB by 2029 to meet surging demand from data centres and the AI industry.
- As part of a three-country collaboration, the Thai facility will specifically focus on R&D for components and the laser-based data recording process for HAMR technology.
- This project is expected to lead to a major future expansion of HAMR HDD manufacturing investment in Thailand, valued in the tens of billions of baht.
Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary-General of the Board of Investment (BOI), said the BOI has approved an application for investment promotion by Western Digital Storage Technologies (Thailand) Ltd., or WD, for a research and development project on HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) technology to enhance hard disk drive (HDD) manufacturing capability, with an investment value of more than THB2.3 billion.
The project aims to increase storage capacity per HDD unit from the current 32 TB to as much as 100 TB by 2029, while improving stability and data security to meet advanced standards and fast-growing demand from the data centre and AI industries.
The R&D will be a three-country collaboration involving the United States, Japan and Thailand.
Thailand will focus on R&D for components and the laser-based data recording process, a key element of HAMR technology.
The company expects the project to lead to a major additional expansion of HAMR HDD investment in Thailand worth tens of billions of baht.
Western Digital is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of hard disk drives (HDD) storage devices.
In the past, it expanded through acquisitions of HDD and memory businesses from several leading companies, including Fujitsu, Hitachi and SanDisk.
Thailand is the company’s most important manufacturing base, with continuous investment since 1997.
It has factories in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Prachin Buri, employs more than 20,000 Thai staff, has a cumulative investment in Thailand of more than THB120 billion, and an annual export value of more than THB230 billion.
HDDs are increasingly becoming a core technology in the digital era.
Data centres choose HDDs as a primary storage device because they can store large volumes of data, offer stability, and have a unit cost around 5–7 times lower than solid-state drives (SSDs).
Meanwhile, SSDs are more commonly used in notebook computers.
As a result, demand for HDDs for data centres continues to rise, and the global market is currently experiencing tight supply.
This reflects that HDDs are not a declining technology, but will remain critical infrastructure for the digital economy, especially as AI and cloud computing expand rapidly.
HAMR technology increases HDD capacity by applying highly localised heat using a laser beam, enabling higher-precision, more efficient data recording.
HAMR is expected to play an important role in HDD development over the next 5–10 years.
However, HAMR still faces limitations related to temperature control, manufacturing complexity and production cost, making further R&D necessary to scale up efficient commercial production.
Western Digital’s new technology R&D project will play an important role in developing human resources and the smart electronics industrial supply chain in Thailand, through supplier development and the use of domestically produced materials and components for more than 60% of the project.
The company will also cooperate with Thai educational institutions and research agencies to develop modern manufacturing technology curricula and provide opportunities for Thai researchers to conduct joint research with leading global companies.
This will help enhance the competitiveness of Thailand’s HDD industry and strengthen Thailand’s role as a global base for HDD manufacturing and exports.”
