Sandisk unveils “Optimus” – kills WD_Black and WD Blue branding

Sandisk unveils its new “Optimus” SSD product brand, killing the last remnants of Western Digital

At CES 2026, Sandisk unveiled its new “Optimus” SSD branding, which will be the name under which all of the company’s future SSDs will be marketed. This replaces the company’s WB Blue and WD_Black brands, which are a legacy of Western Digital. These names will be retired, and new Optimus, Optimus GX, and Optimus GX PRO products will replace them.

In simple terms, Sandisk is ridding itself of its old Western Digital branding. Western Digital acquired Sandisk in 2016 for $19 billion. However, in February 2025, Western Digital split, placing its HDD business under Western Digital and its flash storage business under Sandisk, which is now an independent company. Since this split, Sandisk has been slowly eliminating its Western Digital branding.

Giving customers a more intuitive way to understand performance tiers and navigate the lineup with confidence, the Sandisk Optimus portfolio is segmented to help consumers easily identify the product they need:

• Sandisk Optimus product line – Designed as a benchmark performance hero, built for content creators who demand faster, smoother computing. These drives deliver the right balance of speed and affordability. Previously branded as WD Blue, including the WD Blue SN5100 NVMe SSD.
• Sandisk Optimus GX product line – Gaming without limits, designed for players who want lightning-fast load times, expanded capacity, and power efficiency. Previously branded as WD_BLACK, including the WD_BLACK SN7100 NVMe SSD.
• Sandisk Optimus GX PRO product line- The flagship of the Sandisk Optimus brand portfolio, the Sandisk Optimus GX PRO represents the pinnacle of performance. These drives are designed for developers, professionals and gamers in the pursuit of the latest technological breakthrough and uncompromising performance who are looking to build AI PCs, workstations, or high-end PCs. Sandisk Optimus GX PRO combines cutting-edge storage technologies with increased capacity. Previously branded as WD_BLACK, including the WD_BLACK SN8100 NVMe SSD.

– Sandisk

Starting today, Sandisk will be rebranding several products to align with its new “Optimus” branding. Its WD Blue 5100 will now be called the Sandisk Optimus 5100. The WB_Black SN7100 will soon be called the Optimus GX 7100. Next, the WD_Black SN850X will be called the Optimus GX PRO 850X. Finally, the WD_Black SN8100 will be called the Optimus GX PRO 8100.

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