Western Digital Corporation
Information Technology · Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
HDD duopoly leg #2 (with $STX):
- Pure-play HDD + enterprise storage post the Q1 2025 SanDisk spinoff. Same AI cold-storage thesis as STX - every hyperscaler training program needs petabytes/exabytes of warm + cold storage backing the GPU layer.
- ePMR + HAMR areal-density ramp. WDC's HAMR roadmap is 1-2 quarters behind STX's Mozaic 3+ but ramping; capacity per drive doubles every 24-36 months on areal density alone, independent of unit volume.
- Duopoly structure means rational pricing + multi-quarter visibility. Hyperscalers compete for capacity slots; mix-shift to high-capacity drives lifts ASP.
Bear:
- Same cycle exposure as $STX. Hyperscaler capex pause compresses both duopoly names together.
- SSD encroachment at the warm-tier boundary erodes addressable market over time.
- Multiple has re-rated from a value name to a cycle-momentum name on the +200% YTD rally - reversion risk if HAMR ramp under-delivers.
No key levels recorded for this ticker.