存储行业巨变，西部数据190亿美元收购SanDisk

雷锋网深喉爆料，美国硬盘制造商西部数据刚刚宣布收购闪存厂商SanDisk，交易金额大约为190亿美元（SanDisk的市值为146亿美元）。

本周一，西部数据就和SanDisk展开了收购谈判。业内人士认为，上个月底紫光以38亿美元收购西部数据15%的股份是本次交易的基础，正是这比资金可以让西部数据顺利完成收购SanDisk。

SanDisk目前是全球最大的闪存芯片制造商之一，而西部数据则是全球第一大传统硬盘制造商，但随着闪存形式的存储类型产品越来越受欢迎，西部数据也不得不以各种方式进军闪存领域。那么，收购Sandisk之后，西部数据也和三星、东芝以及美光等闪存巨头站在同一行列了。

如下是西部数据内部信内容：

Team,

I want to share with you significant, exciting news. This morning, Western Digital Corporation announced an agreement to acquire SanDisk Corporation, creating a global leader in storage technology. The combination is the next step in the transformation of Western Digital into a storage solutions company with global scale, extensive product and technology assets, and deep expertise in non-volatile memory (NVM).

SanDisk brings a 27-year history of innovation and expertise in NVM, systems solutions and manufacturing. Their portfolio and capabilities will accelerate our expansion into the high-growth

solid-state storage industry. Together, we will offer an extensive portfolio of industry-leading, innovative storage solutions to our global customer base.

As you all know, the demand for data storage has been growing with the increasing adoption of digital video, the emergence of Big Data analytics, and widespread adoption of both mobile devices and cloud computing. In this rapidly evolving marketplace, it is more important than ever to innovate. This transaction will allow us to deepen our technology expertise and be better positioned to capture the opportunities from this unprecedented growth in data.

While today’s news marks an important milestone for our business, it does not change our priorities nor our day-to-day responsibilities. This transaction is a part of our ongoing transformation to be an innovative leader in the storage industry and create long-term value for our employees, shareholders and partners. It also builds on our earlier announcement this week regarding receipt of MOFCOM approval to integrate substantial portions of our WD and HGST subsidiaries.

Until the closing of the transaction, which is expected to occur in the third calendar quarter of 2016, it is business as usual. In the meantime, I encourage you to speak with your manager if you have any questions.

As always, I thank you for your hard work, accomplishments and support. We are here today because of your dedication and commitment to the company and our customers. I look forward to updating you on new developments in the weeks to come as we progress on our journey to be the global leader in storage technology.

Best Regards,

Steve Milligan

CEO

Western Digital Corporation