SAN JOSE, Calif. & TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 14, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(Computex 2025) – Western Digital (Nasdaq: WDC) and Ingrasys, a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, today announced a strategic collaboration to deliver a new flagship Top-of-Rack (TOR) switch with embedded storage. This new TOR EBOF (Ethernet Bunch of Flash) will provide distributed storage at the network edge for lower latency storage access, reducing the need for separate storage networks and avoiding trips to centralized storage arrays. In this joint effort, Ingrasys will manufacture the high-density TOR EBOF, leveraging Western Digital's RapidFlex™ NVMe-oF™ bridge technology. Western Digital will collaborate with Ingrasys on the architecture and lead the go-to-market efforts to promote NVMe-oF disaggregated storage solutions for cloud service providers (CSPs) and storage OEMs.
This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the rapidly expanding AI market, accelerating the adoption of fabric-attached disaggregated storage to meet the ever-growing demands of AI workflows. By combining Ingrasys’ world-class manufacturing capabilities expertise in GPU servers, and Western Digital’s expertise in NVMe-oF and fabric-attached storage, the two companies are enabling more flexible disaggregated infrastructure that unlocks new levels of efficiency, scalability, and performance for data centers tackling the challenges of AI at scale.
The Ingrasys TOR EBOF, targeted for 2027 availability, represents a cutting-edge integration of networking and storage technologies. This innovative TOR switch features embedded storage capabilities enabled by Western Digital's next-generation RapidFlex Fabric bridge device supporting 100G Ethernet and NVMe™/PCIe® Gen6 drive slots for E3.S/L SSD devices. At its core, the TOR switch is powered by the NVIDIA Spectrum™-4 switch ASIC, ensuring high-performance switching. The switch also offers flexibility with 400/800GbE cabling options making it a robust solution for future data center needs.
Western Digital's RapidFlex NVMe-oF fabric bridge device is a pioneering solution in fabric-attached storage, offering low-power, extreme performance and flexibility for modern data centers. As the only NVMe-oF bridge device that is based on extensive levels of hardware acceleration and removes firmware from the performance path, the I/O read and write payload flows through the adapter with minimal latency and direct Ethernet connectivity. This differentiated approach facilitates seamless, high-performance integration of NVMe SSDs into disaggregated architectures, allowing for efficient scaling of storage resources independently from compute.
"Together with Ingrasys, we continue to accelerate the shift toward disaggregated infrastructure by co-developing cutting-edge, fabric-attached solutions designed for the data demands of AI and modern workloads. This collaboration brings together two leaders in storage infrastructure modernization to deliver flexible, scalable architectures that unlock new levels of efficiency and performance for our customers," said Kurt Chan, vice president and general manager, Western Digital Platforms Business.
"Our collaboration with Western Digital reflects a shared commitment to long-term innovation and customer-centric design. By combining our expertise in scalable system integration with Western Digital’s leadership in storage technologies, we’re building a foundation for future-ready, fabric-attached solutions that will meet the evolving demands of AI and disaggregated infrastructure. This partnership is just the beginning of what we believe will be a lasting journey of co-innovation," said Benjamin Ting, president of Ingrasys.
"The collaboration between Western Digital and Ingrasys brings together the high-performance storage and scalable system transformation needed to fully unlock the potential of accelerated computing. As AI and data-intensive workloads push infrastructure limits, this joint effort is set to deliver the performance, low latency, and disaggregated scalability that next-generation data centers require," said Gilad Shainer, senior vice president of networking at NVIDIA.
Meet Western Digital at Computex: Experience the Future of Data Infrastructure
Visit Western Digital’s at Computex in Taipei. Find us at booth J1303a in Hall 1 Storage and Management Solutions at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center from May 20-23.
About Ingrasys
Ingrasys, a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology Group, is a global leader in cloud infrastructure and AI computing solutions. The company delivers high-performance servers, storage systems, AI accelerators, and rack-scale platforms with advanced liquid cooling. Backed by a vertically integrated supply chain and engineering expertise, Ingrasys drives AI innovation to empower the next generation of sustainable data centers. Learn more at www.ingrasys.com.
About Western Digital
Western Digital empowers the systems and people who rely on data. Consistently delivering massive capacity, high quality and low TCO, Western Digital is trusted by hyperscale cloud providers, enterprise data centers, content professionals and consumers around the world. Core to its values, the company recognizes the urgency to combat climate change and is on a mission to design storage technologies that not only meet today’s data demands but also contribute to a more climate-conscious future. Follow Western Digital on LinkedIn and learn more at www.westerndigital.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws, including statements regarding expectations for: the outcome, impact, performance, value and timeline of the strategic collaboration between Western Digital and Ingrasys; AI- and data-driven uses and demand for data storage solutions; and market opportunities. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.
Key risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements include: adverse global or regional conditions, including new or additional tariffs or trade restrictions; volatility in demand for Western Digital’s products; inflation; increases in interest rates and an economic recession; future responses to and effects of global health crises; the impact of business and market conditions; the outcome and impact of Western Digital’s completed separation of its HDD and Flash businesses, including with respect to stock price volatility and the diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities; the impact of competitive products and pricing; Western Digital’s development and introduction of products based on new technologies and expansion into new data storage markets; risks associated with cost saving initiatives, restructurings, acquisitions, divestitures, mergers, joint ventures and Western Digital’s strategic relationships; difficulties or delays in manufacturing or other supply chain disruptions; hiring and retention of key employees; Western Digital’s level of debt and other financial obligations; changes to Western Digital’s relationships with key customers; compromise, damage or interruption from cybersecurity incidents or other data system security risks; actions by competitors; any decisions to reduce or discontinue paying cash dividends; Western Digital’s ability to achieve its greenhouse gas emissions reduction and other sustainability goals; the impact of international conflicts; risks associated with compliance with changing legal and regulatory requirements and the outcome of legal proceedings; and other risks and uncertainties listed in Western Digital’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including Western Digital’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on August 20, 2024 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 2, 2025, to which your attention is directed. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and Western Digital undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect new information or events, except as required by law.
