{"id":20826,"date":"2026-10-08T12:13:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T12:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=20826"},"modified":"2026-10-08T12:13:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T12:13:50","slug":"seagate-and-toshiba-battle-for-tdks-hdd-head-business-a-critical-hard-drive-component","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.theck1.no\/?p=20826","title":{"rendered":"Seagate and Toshiba battle for TDK’s HDD head business, a critical hard drive component"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-rewritten:<\/strong> This is a summary of an article from Tom’s Hardware, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.<\/p>\n

Tom’s Hardware • Anton Shilov • October 7, 2026<\/strong><\/div>\n\n

Seagate Technology and Toshiba are reportedly competing to acquire TDK’s hard disk drive magnetic head business in a transaction valued at several billion dollars, according to Bloomberg reports. For Seagate, the deal would expand its internal supply of HDD heads, while for Toshiba, TDK is currently the only source of these components. If Seagate were to buy the operation, Toshiba’s HDD business would depend on supply from Seagate instead.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

TDK is the world’s only independent supplier of HDD magnetic heads and Toshiba’s sole source. While Seagate and Western Digital manufacture heads internally and also buy from TDK when demand increases, Toshiba depends entirely on TDK. This access is critical for Toshiba’s next-generation 30TB-class HDDs using MAMR technology and future HAMR successors, as developing write and read heads for HAMR is particularly hard and time-consuming.<\/p>\n

Negotiations reportedly began in spring 2026 with Toshiba approaching TDK, but Seagate entered discussions in summer with a higher offer. The potential acquisition could alter the competitive balance by giving the winner control over the industry’s only independent head supplier, potentially influencing pricing and limiting competitors’ output increases. Both companies are concerned about maintaining access if the rival acquires the business.<\/p>\n

Executives from all three companies reportedly met in Tokyo last week to discuss preserving supply mechanisms, including a possible joint venture, though negotiations remain preliminary. While Seagate and TDK declined to comment on the report, Toshiba denied that any meeting took place or its plans to acquire production capability. Any acquisition would likely face regulatory scrutiny due to the concentrated nature of the HDD market, with TrendForce estimating Seagate and Western Digital each account for approximately 45% of shipments while Toshiba controls around 10%.<\/p>\n

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Source:<\/strong> Tom’s Hardware • Anton Shilov • October 7, 2026<\/p>\n

Read the original article at Tom’s Hardware →<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Tom’s Hardware, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story. Tom’s Hardware • Anton Shilov • October 7, 2026 Seagate Technology and Toshiba are reportedly competing to acquire<\/p>\n

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