On February 16, Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the Board of Investment (BOI), revealed that the BOI has approved the investment promotion application of Western Digital Storage Technologies (Thailand) Ltd. for a project researching and developing HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) technology to enhance the manufacturing capability of hard disk drives (HDD), with a total investment value exceeding THB 2.3 billion.
The company aims to increase the data storage capacity of a single HDD from the current 32 TB (terabyte) to as high as 100 TB by 2029, while also boosting storage stability and security to meet advanced standards and the rapidly growing demands of the data center and AI industries.
This critical technology research and development project is a collaboration among the United States, Japan, and Thailand. Thailand will focus on researching and developing components and data recording processes using lasers, which are core elements of HAMR technology. The company expects this project will lead to further significant investments in HAMR HDD production in Thailand, amounting to several tens of billions of baht.
Western Digital is one of the world’s largest American-based manufacturers of hard disk drive (HDD) storage devices. The company has expanded its business via acquisitions of HDD and memory units from leading companies such as Fujitsu, Hitachi, and SanDisk.
Thailand is Western Digital’s most important manufacturing base and the company has consistently invested in the country since 1997, operating factories in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Prachinburi provinces, employing over 20,000 Thai staff, with cumulative investment in Thailand exceeding THB 120 billion and annual exports valued at more than THB 230 billion.
Currently, HDD is becoming a key technology in the digital era, as data centers select HDDs as their primary data storage devices due to their large capacity, stability, and cost-per-unit up to 5–7 times lower than solid state drives (SSD), which are more popular for notebook computers. This has continuously increased demand for HDDs for data centers, leading to a global supply constraint. This also reflects that HDD is not a declining technology but will instead be a crucial infrastructure for the digital economy, especially as AI and cloud computing expand rapidly.
HAMR technology helps increase HDD capacity by using focused laser heating to enable more precise and efficient data recording. HAMR is expected to play a critical role in HDD development over the next 5–10 years. However, current limitations include challenges with temperature control, production complexity, and manufacturing costs, making continued research and development essential to achieving efficient commercial-scale production.
Narit added that this new research and development project by Western Digital is pivotal for developing Thai human resources and strengthening Thailand’s smart electronics industry supply chain, with over 60% of raw materials and components sourced locally.
Furthermore, the company will collaborate with Thai educational institutions and research agencies to develop modern manufacturing technology curriculums and offer opportunities for Thai researchers to partner with leading global companies. This will enhance the competitiveness of Thailand’s HDD industry and reinforce Thailand’s role as a global base for HDD manufacturing and exports.
