Western Digital to invest 23 billion baht in Thai expansion

Western Digital Storage Technologies (Thailand) received investment incentives from the Board of Investment (BOI) for a 23-billion-baht expansion aimed at capitalising on the burgeoning cloud and data centre industry.

Western Digital, commonly known as WD, will utilise the new investment to enhance its production facilities located at Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate in Ayutthaya and the 304 Industrial Park in Prachin Buri, said the Secretary-General of the BOI, Narit Therdsteerasukdi.

“The business expansion of WD is good for the cloud and data centre businesses and will help drive the development of S-curved industries in Thailand.”

An American hard disk drive manufacturer, WD has been operational in Thailand since 1997 and currently employs over 28,000 workers.

Thailand is a key player in the global hard disk drive market, producing up to 80% of the world’s supply. Major manufacturers, including WD and Seagate, dominate this sector.

A subsidiary of the California-based WD, Western Digital Storage Technologies has grown significantly after acquiring the data storage businesses of Fujitsu, Hitachi, ScanDisk, and Komag. The company now holds a 40% market share in the global hard disk drive sector.

The latest investment by WD in Thailand is projected to significantly boost the country’s hard disk drive exports, adding an estimated annual value of 200 billion baht. This expansion is also expected to create 10,000 additional jobs.

This investment will benefit related industries such as printed circuit board assembly, metal and plastic material manufacturing, and the power supply sector.

The value of these related businesses is expected to reach 81 billion baht a year as Narit added.

Narit emphasised that WD’s investment underscores the continuous growth of the hard disk drive business, which remains vital for the cloud and data centre industry, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, 19 firms, mainly in real estate and software, are seeking SEC approval to raise funds via investment tokens. Three companies have already raised 4.8 billion baht. The SEC aims to support fundraising, focusing on technology and investor protection.