BOI Approves Western Digital's 2.3 Billion Baht Research and Development Project for Hard Disk Technology

The Board of Investment (BOI) has approved Western Digital Storage Technologies (Thailand) Limited's investment in a research and development project for HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) technology, aimed at enhancing hard disk drive (HDD) production capabilities with an investment of over 2.3 billion baht. The company aims to increase data storage capacity in a single HDD from the current 32 TB to 100 TB by 2029, improving data storage stability and security to meet the rapidly growing Data Center and AI industry standards. This research and development project will be a collaboration between three countries - the United States, Japan, and Thailand - with Thailand focusing on laser data recording components and processes. Western Digital expects this project could lead to additional massive investments in HAMR HDD technology in Thailand. Western Digital is one of the world's largest HDD manufacturers, with Thailand serving as its primary production base since 1997. The company has factories in Ayutthaya and Prachinburi provinces, employing over 20,000 Thai personnel, with cumulative investments of over 120 billion baht and annual export values exceeding 230 billion baht. The project is expected to play a significant role in developing human resources and the smart electronics industry supply chain in Thailand, with plans for collaboration with educational institutions and research agencies.