On 12 November 2024, H.E. Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, joined the meeting between H.E. Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand and Mr. Irving Tan, CEO of Western Digital, in Los Angeles, the United States of America.

The Prime Minister welcomed WD’s latest investment expansion of 23.5 billion baht (696 million USD) in manufacturing hard disk drives (HDDs) in Thailand, which will contribute to developing Thailand’s digital economy, while also promoting procurement of local materials. The investment expansion is in line with the Government’s vision to advance high-technology industries, particularly HDDs, the key components for cloud storage and data center services, which are important to advancing the digital ecosystem. On this occasion, both sides discussed potential collaboration on accelerating advanced technology, promoting renewable energy and sustainability, upskilling the workforce, as well as moving up the value chain through more research and development cooperation for industries of the future.   

Western Digital is the world’s leading electronics company. The company has invested in Thailand since 2001 and is Thailand’s biggest electronics exporter.