Press Releases

Feb 26, 2018

At MWC 2018, company releases world’s fastest UHS-I microSD^TM card, and reveals future of flash memory cards with PCIe-enabled SD card demonstration

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, BARCELONA, Feb. 26, 2018 – As mobile content and applications grow increasingly sophisticated, Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) is transforming the mobile experience with new industry-leading mobile solutions designed to enable consumers to better capture, share and enjoy rich content on their devices. At Mobile World Congress, the company is releasing the world’s fastest UHS-I flash memory card, the 400GB¹ SanDisk Extreme® UHS-I microSDXC^TM card, and demonstrating the future of flash memory card technology with Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe)-enabled cards, designed to deliver the performance required for the next wave of data and content-intensive applications.

Whether it’s exploring a new world in an immersive virtual reality app, or capturing 4K footage on a smartphone or drone, consumers can count on Western Digital to deliver even more robust mobile flash memory technology that offers them a premium experience on their favorite device.

The company’s new 400GB SanDisk Extreme UHS-I microSD card is designed to help consumers move their high-quality content faster than ever. At 160MB/s*, the new card is more than 50 percent faster than current SanDisk Extreme UHS-I microSD cards. The card is able to reach this unprecedented speed by leveraging Western Digital proprietary technology. The card will also feature the A2 specification to help launch and load apps at blazing speeds.

“Consumers expect an increasingly better mobile experience, and with our 3D NAND technology, we are pushing the boundaries of innovation to enable them to create and enjoy more rich content on their devices. Our expertise in flash memory and microSD card electronics enables us to achieve unmatched performance. The breakthrough SanDisk microSD card is evidence of Western Digital’s commitment to delivering more advanced solutions that enable data to thrive,” said Jim Welsh, senior vice president and general manager, Client Solutions, Western Digital.

Western Digital is also showcasing a new platform to enable the future of flash memory cards with a demonstration of its PCIe-enabled SD card. In anticipation of the next generation of high-performance

mobile computing requirements, implementing PCIe technology will deliver the ability to read data files faster than today’s platform. Through Western Digital’s broad portfolio, this technology can now be demonstrated to boost the performance of SD cards. These speeds are essential for high-resolution content applications such as super-slow-motion video, RAW continuous burst mode and 8K video capture and playback. PCIe has traditionally been reserved for use in high-performance data center systems, where the single-lane PCIe Gen 3.0 standard specifications denote capabilities of achieving speeds of up to 985MB/s.²

At Mobile World Congress, Fira Gran Via Exhibition Center in Barcelona, Spain, Hall 3, stand number 3K33, Western Digital is demonstrating the world’s fastest UHS-I microSD card and PCIe-enabled flash memory card technology, as well as its new Western Digital PC SN720 and PC SN520 SSDs designed for responsive, always-connected user experiences on converged mobility devices.

Enabling the possibilities of data, Western Digital offers the industry’s broadest portfolio of products and solutions to help people capture, preserve, access and transform their personal content. For more information, visit our websites: WD and SanDisk.

About Western Digital

Western Digital creates environments for data to thrive. The company is driving the innovation needed to help customers capture, preserve, access and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data. Everywhere data lives, from advanced data centers to mobile sensors to personal devices, our industry-leading solutions deliver the possibilities of data.

Western Digital® data-centric solutions are marketed under the G-Technology™, HGST, SanDisk®, Tegile™, Upthere™ and WD® brands.

Not all devices support microSD memory card formats. Check with your device manufacturer for more details.

* Up to 160MB/s read speed; up to 90MB/s write speed. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device interface, usage conditions and other factors. MB=1,000,000 bytes.

¹ 1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage less.

² Source: PCI-SIG specifications converted from listed 8GT/s bit rate. Results may vary based on host device, app type and other factors.

© 2018 Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Western Digital, the Western Digital logo, SanDisk, the SanDisk logo, and SanDisk Extreme are registered trademarks or trademarks of Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the US and/or other countries. The SD, microSD and microSDXC marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C, LLC. PCIe is a registered trademark of PCI-SIG. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc. is the seller of record and licensee in the Americas of SanDisk® products.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking statements, including the expected availability and performance of the SanDisk Extreme UHS-I microSD card and its features, availability, and their benefits to customers, including compatibility with other platforms, A2 support, PCIe standard support. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate including, among others: changes to specifications from standards organizations, volatility in global economic conditions; business conditions and growth in the storage ecosystem; impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance and cost of commodity materials and specialized product components; actions by competitors; unexpected advances in competing technologies; our development and introduction of products based on new technologies and expansion into new data storage markets; risks associated with acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties listed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including our most recently filed periodic report to which your attention is directed. We do not intend to update the information contained in this release.