Is this the end of WD as an SSD brand? SanDisk takes over SSD, memory cards and USB flash drives from Western Digital as company cements split

The Western Digital logo on the front of one of the brand's buildings
(Image credit: Western Digital)

After Western Digital announced plans to separate its HDD and flash businesses back in 2023, that plan now appears to have come to fruition, with the storage giant dividing its company into two distinct brands.

Despite knowing the move was coming, the timing is interesting, as WD only recently released an 8TB SSD as part of its WD Black SN850X series, joining the existing 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB models in the range.

In an announcement, the company explains to customers, “We are now operating as two specialized websites: WesternDigital.com for HDDs and platforms, and SanDisk.com for flash technology, including SSDs, memory cards, USB flash drives, and more.”

What does it mean for buyers?

The company added its creation of separate websites is designed to, “better position each franchise to execute innovative technology and product development, capitalize on unique growth opportunities, extend respective market leadership positions, and operate more efficiently with distinct capital structures.”

Back in March 2024, Western Digital supplied additional information on the reason for the split, which essentially boils down to "creating shareholder value and driving long-term success for its businesses.”

David Goeckeler, CEO of Western Digital, said at the time that the split was “an extremely complex transaction that incorporates over a dozen countries and spans data storage technology brands for consumers, professional content creators, the world’s leading device OEMs, and the largest cloud providers.”

So now that the division is complete, what will it mean for customers? The company says, “On WesternDigital.com, you can shop for all HDD and platform products from the following brands: Western Digital, WD, WD_BLACK, and SanDisk Professional. On SanDisk.com, you can shop for all flash products, such as SSDs, memory cards, and USB flash drives from the following brands: Western Digital, WD, WD_BLACK, SanDisk, and SanDisk Professional.”

There will, of course, be repercussions for customers. If you have a discount code from Western Digital, you’ll only be able to use it to buy products on the WD site. The reverse is true for customers with SanDisk codes.

More from TechRadar Pro

Wayne Williams
Editor

Wayne Williams is a freelancer writing news for TechRadar Pro. He has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for 30 years. In that time he wrote for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a number of them too.

Read more
Sandisk 128TB DC SN670
Sandisk plans 256TB SSD in 2026 and 512TB SSD in 2027 and no, you won't be able to install it in your desktop computer
Solidigm P44 Pro
Solidigm exits consumer SSD market as it prepares to go very big on enterprise SSDs in 2025
SanDisk Creator Desk Drive
SanDisk jumps on creator bandwagon with new storage products which look just like the old ones; I won't be buying one because I don't think it's worth it
Two people having a legal discussion in an office
WD told it has a week to pay massive $500 million patent infringement fine
HAMR
Race to 100TB HDD heats up as Seagate pulls rug under Western Digital, Toshiba feet by acquiring HAMR-specialist
Western Digital HDD
Beyond 100TB, here's how Western Digital is betting on heat dot magnetic recording to reach the storage skies
Latest in Pro
Teams on iPhone and Mac
Microsoft Teams has a whole new way for you to talk to (or annoy) your co-workers
person at a computer
Many workers are overconfident at spotting phishing attacks
AI tools.
Laying the foundations for successful GenAI adoption
A person in a wheelchair working at a computer.
Why betting on Mac security could put your organization at risk
Zorin OS 17 main image
I tried the latest version of Zorin OS - here's what I thought of this Linux distro
WatchGuard Firebox T45-CW main image
I tried the WatchGuard Firebox - here's what I thought of this 5G appliance
Latest in News
iPad mini 2021
Huawei might have beaten Apple to the folding phone finish line by creating a foldable 'iPad mini'
Google Pixel 9 in green Wintergreen color showing AI features on screen
Multiple hands-on Google Pixel 9a videos have emerged, days ahead of the likely launch
A man getting angry with his laptop.
Windows 11 bug deletes Copilot from the OS – is this the first glitch ever some users will be happy to encounter?
Teams on iPhone and Mac
Microsoft Teams has a whole new way for you to talk to (or annoy) your co-workers
Apple Intelligence
It’s crunch time for Apple Intelligence as Apple execs look for a solution to the company’s AI woes
Huawei Watch Fit 3
The Huawei Watch 3 is a decent Apple Watch alternative, and its successor could be close at hand