Western Digital

Western Digital Corporation (often abbreviated to WD) is one of the largest computer hard disk drive manufacturers in the world. Western Digital has a long history in the electronics industry as an integrated circuit maker and a storage products company. Western Digital was founded on April 23, 1970 by Alvin B. Phillips, a Motorola employee, as General Digital, initially (and briefly) a manufacturer of MOS test equipment. It rapidly became a speciality semiconductor maker, with start-up capital provided by several individual investors and industrial giant Emerson Electric Company. Around July 1971 it adopted its current name and soon introduced its first product, the WD1402A UART.