However, until October 2015, it was required to operate autonomously from the remainder of the company due to conditions imposed by Chinese regulators.

Chinese regulators later permitted Western Digital to begin wider integration of HGST into its main business.

[7] In September 2014, the company announced a 10 TB helium drive, which uses shingled magnetic recording to improve density.

[8] In October 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a decision allowing Western Digital to begin integrating HGST into its main business.

[9] Since then, first WD-branded products left HGST's plant at 304 Industrial Park in Prachinburi Province, Thailand; in reverse, certain HGST-branded products became produced at Western Digital's plants in Bang Pa-in District, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand and Penang, Malaysia.