Summary of Western Digital 2026 Investor Day Company Overview - **Company**: Western Digital (NasdaqGS: WDC) - **Event**: 2026 Investor Day - **Date**: February 03, 2026 Key Industry Insights - **Storage Demand**: The demand for storage is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 25% over the next five years, driven by AI, cloud computing, and data generation from various applications, including autonomous vehicles and robotics [14][16] - **HDD Market Position**: HDDs are expected to represent 80% of the storage media deployed in hyperscale environments due to their superior economics and performance [14][15] Core Company Strategies and Achievements - **Execution on Strategy**: Over the past year, Western Digital has focused on executing its strategy across six pillars, leading to strong customer trust and long-term agreements extending through 2027 and 2028 [6][7] - **Product Innovation**: The company has shipped 3.5 million units of its industry-leading 32 TB drives and is projected to ship nearly 4 million units in the next quarter [8] - **Cultural Change**: A significant cultural transformation has occurred within the company, enhancing customer engagement and operational efficiency [9] Financial Performance - **Revenue Growth**: The company has reported strong revenue growth and margin appreciation, resulting in robust free cash flow, with 100% of free cash flow returned to shareholders in the last two quarters [10] - **Leverage Reduction**: Net leverage has been reduced to below the targeted range of 1 to 1.5x [10] Technological Innovations - **HAMR Technology**: The company is advancing its Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology, with plans to reach 100 TB drives by 2029. The current focus is on ensuring reliability and performance consistency [44][46] - **High Bandwidth Drive**: Introduction of High Bandwidth Drive technology aims to double random and sequential read-write throughput, enhancing performance while maintaining total cost of ownership (TCO) [61][62] - **Dual Pivot Technology**: This new design allows for increased density and performance, enabling double the sequential I/O without requiring software changes [65][66] Customer Engagement and Market Needs - **Customer-Centric Approach**: The company emphasizes understanding customer needs to build future-ready technology, ensuring smooth transitions between different recording technologies [38][41] - **Partnerships**: Collaborations with major customers like Meta highlight the importance of reliability, capacity, and cost efficiency in HDD technology [20][18] Future Outlook - **AI and Data Storage**: As AI adoption increases, the need for efficient data storage solutions will grow. Western Digital is positioned to meet this demand through innovative HDD technologies and a focus on power efficiency [41][70] - **Market Dynamics**: Despite competition from flash storage, HDDs remain the most cost-effective solution for large-scale data storage, with ongoing innovations to enhance performance and capacity [58][59] Conclusion Western Digital is strategically positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for data storage driven by AI and cloud technologies. The company's focus on innovation, customer engagement, and operational efficiency is expected to drive future growth and shareholder value.

Western Digital (NasdaqGS:WDC) 2026 Investor Day February 03, 2026 09:30 AM ET Speaker0Good morning, everybody. Good morning. And Chuck, you had me at Ambrish, but you just reminded me how I should pronounce my own last name, so thank you. Look, what a fantastic attendance, especially in this cold, frigid New York, so we really appreciate all of you. Not just those who are here, we also know, of course, some of you have made the trip from outside of town, so thank you for doing that. And so on behalf of the ...

Market Overview - The three major U.S. stock indices opened mixed on February 3, with the Nasdaq up 0.36%, the Dow Jones up 0.22%, and the S&P 500 up 0.20% [1]. Index Performance - Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 49,515.08, up by 107.42 points, representing a 0.22% increase [2]. - Nasdaq Index stands at 23,676.02, up by 83.91 points, reflecting a 0.36% rise [2]. - S&P 500 is at 6,990.31, increasing by 13.87 points, which is a 0.20% gain [2]. Sector Performance - Mining stocks surged, with Coeur Mining rising over 8% and Pan American Silver increasing more than 6% [2]. - Storage sector showed strength, with Western Digital up over 4% and SanDisk up over 5% [3]. - Technology stocks mostly rose, with Intel increasing over 4% and Google rising more than 1% [4]. Chinese Stocks - The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index fell by 0.40%, with notable declines in stocks such as Bilibili, Alibaba, and NetEase, each down over 2%, and Baidu and JD down over 1%. However, Xpeng Motors rose over 2% [4]. Notable Declines - PayPal experienced a significant drop, falling over 18% [5].

每经AI快讯，周二，存储概念持续走强，西部数据(WDC.US)涨超8%，闪迪(SNDK.US)涨超5%，希捷 科技(STX.US)涨超4%，均再创历史新高。 ...

瑞银分析师预计，全球存储行业出现"有意义的供给缓解"最早也要到2028年前后。在此之前，AI数据中 心建设所带来的结构性需求，将持续强化Memory产业链的景气度与议价能力。短期来看，瑞银建议聚 焦两大几近垄断的HDD厂商——希捷与西部数据。分析师认为，可将两家公司共同视为"存储景气度周 期型的短期交易主题"，受益于行业高度集中、供给受控以及需求阶段性回暖带来的价格与利润弹性。 智通财经APP获悉，周二，存储概念持续走强，西部数据(WDC.US)涨超8%，闪迪(SNDK.US)涨超5%， 希捷科技(STX.US)涨超4%，均再创历史新高。消息面上，西部数据表示，由于人工智能服务器对其内 存芯片的需求激增，其董事会已批准追加40亿美元用于股票回购。 ...

Group 1 - The storage sector continues to strengthen, with Western Digital (WDC.US) rising over 8%, SanDisk (SNDK.US) increasing over 5%, and Seagate Technology (STX.US) gaining over 4%, all reaching new historical highs [1] - Western Digital announced a $4 billion stock buyback plan due to a surge in demand for its memory chips driven by artificial intelligence servers [1] - UBS analysts predict that a "meaningful supply relief" in the global storage industry will not occur until around 2028, with structural demand from AI data center construction continuing to enhance the memory industry's prosperity and pricing power [1] Group 2 - In the short term, UBS recommends focusing on the two nearly monopolistic HDD manufacturers, Seagate and Western Digital [1] - Analysts view these two companies as a "short-term trading theme" for the storage industry's cyclical prosperity, benefiting from high industry concentration, controlled supply, and a phase of demand recovery leading to price and profit elasticity [1]

西部数据(WDC.US)大涨近9%，最高触及294.24美元，创下历史新高。 此外，西部数据首席财务官Kris Sennesael表示，西数2026年的产能都已被预订一空，还有两笔合约延续 到2027年、一笔合约延续至2028年。公司也跟其他客户持续沟通合约是否有可能延长至2028年或2029 年，甚至有客户开始询问2030年。(格隆汇) 消息面上，西部数据宣布董事会已授权额外40亿美元用于股份回购。公司首席执行官Irving Tan表示， 扩大的回购授权展示了公司对未来的信心以及对股东价值的承诺。 ...

每经AI快讯，2月3日，美股三大指数开盘涨跌不一，纳指涨0.34%，道指跌0.05%，标普500指数涨 0.15%。存储概念持续走强，西部数据涨超4%，闪迪涨超5%。Palantir大涨超11%，公司Q4业绩大超预 期。PayPal大跌超18%，公司Q4业绩不及预期。 ...

Welcome Innovation Day February 3, 2026 © 20 26 W ESTE RN DIGITAL C ORPOR ATION OR ITS A F FIL IA TES. AL L R IGH TS RES ERV ED . Innovation Day Ambrish Srivastava © 20 26 W ESTE RN DIGITAL C ORPOR ATION OR ITS A F FIL IA TES. AL L R IGH TS RES ERV ED . Disclaimers FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This presentation contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws, including statements regarding expectations for: the company's business outlook and financial performance for the fisc ...

Core Viewpoint - The shift in investor focus from software to hardware, particularly in the semiconductor and memory storage sectors, is driven by the increasing demand for storage solutions amid the AI revolution and technological advancements [1][2]. Semiconductor Industry - The iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) has increased by approximately 13% year to date, indicating a strong performance in the semiconductor sector [1]. - Memory and storage stocks are identified as the key beneficiaries of the anticipated semiconductor surge in 2026, with storage being highlighted as a critical bottleneck in the AI boom [1][3]. Memory Storage Market - The memory storage market is experiencing unprecedented growth, with companies like Sandisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) and Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) reporting significant gains of 1,747% and 455% respectively over the past year [3]. - The demand for commoditized storage hardware has surged, becoming essential for AI advancements, and it remains uncertain when the market will stabilize [3][4]. Investment Outlook - Analysts, including JPMorgan, are optimistic about the future of storage companies, raising price targets for Western Digital to $320.00 per share, suggesting that it is still a favorable time to invest in these companies [5][6]. - Despite high valuations, with Western Digital trading at 25.5 times trailing price-to-earnings (P/E), the shares are not considered overvalued, indicating potential for continued investment [6]. - The ongoing demand for storage solutions is expected to persist, especially as AI technologies evolve and require more robust data handling capabilities [7].