Samsung and Western Digital Begin Far-reaching Collaboration to Drive Standardization of Next-generation Storage Technologies for Broader Ecosystem Support and Customer Adoption
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Western Digital (Nasdaq: WDC) today announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a unique collaboration to standardize and drive broad adoption of next-generation data placement, processing and fabrics (D2PF) storage technologies. The companies will initially focus on aligning their efforts and creating a vigorous ecosystem for Zoned Storage solutions. These steps will enable the industry to focus on countless applications that ultimately create greater value for customers.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220330005385/en/
Samsung ZNS SSD (Graphic: Business Wire)
This marks the first time that both Samsung and Western Digital have come together as technology leaders to create widespread alignment and stimulate awareness for important storage technologies. Focusing on enterprise and cloud applications, the partnership is expected to spur a range of collaborations around technology standardization and software development for D2PF technologies like Zoned Storage. With this collaboration, end-users can have confidence that these emerging storage technologies will have support from multiple device vendors as well as from vertically integrated hardware and software companies.
“Storage is the essential foundation for how people and businesses consume and use data. To enable today’s needs and tomorrow’s next big ideas, we must innovate, collaborate and keep pace as an industry in bringing new standards and architectures to life,” said Rob Soderbery, EVP and GM, Flash Business Unit at Western Digital. “In order for a technology ecosystem to be successful, overall frameworks and general solution models must come together so they do not suffer from fragmentation, which delays adoption and adds unnecessary complexity for software stack developers.”
Soderbery added, “For years Western Digital has been laying the foundation for the Zoned Storage ecosystem by contributing to the Linux kernel and open-source software community. We are excited to bring these contributions to this joint initiative with Samsung in facilitating wider adoption of Zoned Storage for users and application developers.”
“This collaboration is a testament to our relentless effort to exceed customers’ needs now and in the future, and holds special meaning in how we anticipate it will actively grow into a larger basis of engagement for Zoned Storage standardization,” said Jinman Han, Corporate EVP, Head of Memory Sales & Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Our collaborative efforts will embrace hardware and software ecosystems to ensure that as many customers as possible can reap the benefits of this highly important technology."
The two companies have already kickstarted an initiative around Zoned Storage devices, including ZNS (Zoned Namespaces) SSDs and SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) HDDs. Through organizations such as SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association) and the Linux Foundation, Samsung and Western Digital will define high-level models and frameworks for next-generation Zoned Storage technologies. With a commitment to enable open and scalable data center architectures, they have founded the Zoned Storage TWG (Technical Work Group), which was approved by SNIA in December 2021. The group is already defining and specifying common use cases for Zoned Storage devices, as well as host/device architecture and programming models.
In addition, this collaboration is expected to serve as a starting point to expand zone-based (e.g. ZNS, SMR) device interfaces, as well as future-generation, high-capacity storage devices with enhanced data placement and processing technologies. At a later stage, these initiatives will be expanded to include other emerging D2PF technologies such as computational storage and storage fabrics including NVMe™ over Fabrics (NVMe-oF).
###
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.
About Western Digital
Western Digital creates environments for data to thrive. As a leader in data infrastructure, 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 comprised of the Western Digital®, SanDisk® and WD® brands.
For more information about Zoned Storage, please visit ZonedStorage.io.
©2022 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Western Digital and the Western Digital logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the US and/or other countries. The NVMe word mark is a trademark of NVM Express, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
###
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220330005385/en/
Contact information
Media Inquiries:
John Lucas
for Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.
j.lucas@partner.Samsung.com
Erin Hartin
for Western Digital
1-303-601-8035
Erin.Hartin@wdc.com
Ujeong Jahnke
Samsung Semiconductor Europe GmbH
Tel. +49(0)89-45578-1000
Email: sseg.comm@samsung.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Quectel Launches RG660QA and RG660QB 5G Modules With Advanced Performance Features7.1.2026 19:00:00 EET | Press release
Quectel Wireless Solutions, an end-to-end global IoT solutions provider, today announces the launch of the RG600QA and RG660QB 5G module, based on the Qualcomm® X85 and X82 5G Modem-RF Systems. The RG660QA is based on X85 while the RG660QB is based onX82. Engineering samples of two first SKUs in the RG660Qx series have been already made available to customers and pre-production samples will be available to the market in Q2 2026. Designed for versatility, this module series supports a broad array of next generation 5G use cases, from home and business wireless broadband to mobile video, camera applications, and high-performance mobile hotspots. In indoor 5G CPE, it unlocks premium performance by enabling Wi-Fi 7 across the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, with integrated Bluetooth to support a full ecosystem of connected devices. With Ethernet speeds reaching up to 10 Gbps, the RG660Qx delivers the high-capacity backbone needed to power ultra-fast, reliable home and enterprise networks.
Sodali & Co Announces Executive Leadership Appointments7.1.2026 18:00:00 EET | Press release
Sodali & Co (the ‘firm’ or ‘Sodali’), the leading global capital markets-centric stakeholder advisory firm, is pleased to announce four appointments to its Executive Leadership Team (ELT) under Chief Executive Officer Andrew Benett. These newly created senior roles will strengthen Sodali’s ability to respond to clients’ evolving needs with an integrated suite of shareholder, sustainability, and strategic communications advisory services delivered on a global scale. The appointments are as follows: Brett Clegg has been promoted to Chief Commercial Officer. Brett was previously Chairman of Sodali’s APAC region, based in the firm’s Sydney office. He specializes in advising clients on strategic communications, issues management, and capital markets transactions. Prior to Sodali, Brett spent over two decades in senior executive and editorial roles at some of Australia’s leading news brands, including The Australian Financial Review, The Australian, and The Daily Telegraph. Aneliya Crawford
Andersen Global Adds González-Paullada Domínguez in Monterrey, Mexico7.1.2026 16:30:00 EET | Press release
Andersen Global broadens its Latin American platform through a Collaboration Agreement with Monterrey-based law firm González-Paullada Domínguez (GPD), further strengthening the organization’s coverage in Mexico. Founded in 2021, GPD offers comprehensive services across transactional and litigation matters. The firm advises clients across sectors—including manufacturing, real estate, insurance, information technology, mining, and banking—on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, foreign investment, commercial contracts, regulatory compliance, and ongoing legal audits. GPD also represents clients in complex civil and commercial litigation, arbitration, and insolvency proceedings. “Monterrey is a major economic hub where local credibility and deep relationships are essential, particularly for foreign investors seeking to enter the market,” said Alfonso González-Paullada Guerrero, founder and managing partner of GPD. “By collaborating with Andersen Global, we s
1NCE Continues Growth and Expands Its Software, AI and Services Offering7.1.2026 15:15:00 EET | Press release
1NCE, a company offering a plug-and-play platform for creating and managing the world’s best IoT products, reports another strong growth year, adding another 10 million endpoints. The company now manages 40+ million intelligent products for 30,000+ customers across 17 industries. 1NCE’s software and connectivity platform has become a new industry standard, delivering hassle-free IoT in 170+ countries and regions. The company has a unique vantage point in the IoT ecosystem, with four billion data records per day collected through 250+ streams on the world’s largest IoT network in the cloud. The company launched a new intelligent data program called 1NCE Insights. The program is part of the company’s goal of fusing AI + IoT intelligence to drive game-changing results in supply chains, smart cities, utilities and beyond. Customer-collected data is theirs and theirs alone. But with Insights, 1NCE opens access to its anonymized, networkwide data. Customers can benchmark their IoT projects a
Prudentia Sciences Announces Series A Led by McKesson Ventures, Accelerating Due Diligence for Life Sciences Dealmaking7.1.2026 15:00:00 EET | Press release
Prudentia Sciences, a pioneer in AI-native due diligence for life sciences dealmaking, today announced that it has secured $20 million in Series A financing. The round was led by McKesson Ventures with participation from SignalFire. Existing investors include Iaso Ventures, Virtue and GV. This brings the company’s total funding to $27 million, following a $7 million seed round in 2024. Prudentia Sciences provides an AI-native platform that enables pharma companies, biotechs, and financial institutions to evaluate breakthrough medicines with unprecedented speed and rigor. By synthesizing complex clinical signals into actionable insights, Prudentia accelerates deal throughput and provides strategic leverage for acquisition, licensing, or investment decisions made by business development, investment, and diligence teams. The company’s human-in-the-loop approach orchestrates seamless collaboration between buyers, sellers, and intermediaries. This ensures a secure, compliant infrastructure
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom