If you have been following the storage market for a while, you have probably noticed some recent changes in product names and branding, especially around SanDisk and Western Digital (WD). Models that once carried WD Blue or WD Black labels now appear under new SanDisk names, and a new SSD lineup called SanDisk Optimus has entered the market.
To understand what is happening today, it helps to look at the shared history of these two companies.
A Shared Past: How SanDisk and WD Became One
SanDisk was founded in 1988 and quickly became one of the most important innovators in flash memory technology. The company played a major role in popularizing memory cards, USB flash drives, and early solid-state drives. Long before SSDs became mainstream, SanDisk was already building flash-based storage for enterprise and consumer use.
In 2016, Western Digital acquired SanDisk for approximately $19 billion. At the time, this made strategic sense: WD was a global leader in hard disk drives, while SanDisk was a leader in flash memory. Together, they formed a complete storage powerhouse covering both HDDs and flash-based products.
For nearly a decade, SanDisk operated as a brand under Western Digital, powering many of WD’s SSD products behind the scenes.
The Split: SanDisk Becomes Independent Again
In 2025, Western Digital separated its flash memory business and spun it off as a standalone public company. That company now operates again as SanDisk Corporation.
This means:
- SanDisk now focuses exclusively on flash storage: SSDs, memory cards, USB drives, and embedded flash.
- Western Digital now focuses primarily on hard drives and large-capacity storage solutions.
They are no longer the same company, although WD may still hold some equity depending on post-spin arrangements. Operationally and strategically, they are now independent.
Why Product Names Are Changing
One of the most visible results of this separation is branding.
For years, WD used color-based SSD names:
- WD Blue (mainstream)
- WD Black (performance/gaming)
- WD Green (entry-level)
Now that SanDisk is independent again, it is consolidating these products under its own brand identity. This is where the SanDisk Optimus lineup comes in.
The New SanDisk Optimus SSD Lineup
SanDisk has introduced a new naming system designed to be simpler and more consistent across performance tiers. Instead of color-based names, the Optimus family uses performance-based tiers.
SanDisk Optimus
This tier replaces what used to be mainstream SSDs, similar to the former WD Blue category. These drives are designed for everyday users, system upgrades, office machines, and general-purpose computing.
Typical use cases:
- Laptop and desktop upgrades
- Office workloads
- General home use
- Light creative tasks
SanDisk Optimus GX
This tier targets higher-performance users, similar to what WD Black represented for many consumers.
Typical use cases:
- Gaming systems
- Content creators
- Power users
- Faster boot times and large file transfers
SanDisk Optimus GX Pro
This is the top-tier category, designed for maximum performance and demanding workloads.
Typical use cases:
- Professional content creation
- 4K/8K video workflows
- Heavy multitasking
- Advanced gaming and workstation builds
What This Means for Buyers
If you are seeing new SanDisk names and wondering whether the products are completely new, the answer is: not always.
In many cases:
- The hardware platforms are evolutions of existing WD SSD designs.
- The naming system is what has changed.
- Firmware, performance tuning, and positioning have been updated to fit SanDisk’s new roadmap.
So while the names may look unfamiliar, the underlying technology is still based on proven designs and long-standing engineering.
Why SanDisk Is Doing This
This rebranding is not just cosmetic. It reflects SanDisk’s long-term strategy:
- Build a unified product ecosystem under one brand
- Remove confusion between WD HDDs and SanDisk SSDs
- Create clear performance tiers
- Prepare for future flash technologies and PCIe generations
As SSD performance increases and form factors diversify, a clear naming structure becomes increasingly important.
Final Thoughts
SanDisk and Western Digital were once one company, but today they are separate, focused, and following different paths. WD continues to build and refine large-capacity storage solutions, while SanDisk has returned to its roots as a flash-memory specialist.
The new SanDisk Optimus lineup is part of that reset. It marks a new chapter for SanDisk, one where performance tiers are clearer, branding is unified, and the company fully controls its own roadmap again.
For buyers, the key takeaway is simple: the names are changing, but SanDisk’s core strengths in flash memory and SSD technology remain.