Western Digital buying SanDisk for $19 billion

All the storage is going to be under one brand as Western Digital prepares to gobble up major rivals SanDisk in huge deal

If you've ever used a memory card of any size or shape (like the dinky one inside your phone) it's a pretty good bet you've seen the name SanDisk before. They're one of the leading names in flash storage, and they're about to get gobbled up.

Reports are emerging that hard disk makers Western Digital are set to buy SanDisk for the princely sum of $19 billion, based on a priace of $85.50 per share. It's an acquisition which makes sense, especially given the ever increasing interest in tiny flash storage for mobile devices, tablets, cameras and more.

Both companies have been in and around the industry for decades, with WD kicking off in California in 1970. The merged organisation will automatically become a leading player in the storage field, where exciting emerging tech will allow for more and more high definition content to be stored on a chip the size of your fingernail.

The deal is currently in motion but won't actually close until towards the end of 2016.