Western Digital’s Post

Western Digital hosted the 8th Annual Innovation Bazaar in India on November 5, bringing together engineers, researchers, and university partners for a day dedicated to creativity, collaboration, and technical excellence. Since its start, the Innovation Bazaar has been a platform for our teams and top universities to showcase breakthroughs in data storage and emerging technologies. This year’s 125+ internal submissions and 50+ university entries highlighted work in AI-driven software, HDD memory organization, NVMe-oF, the OptiNAND architecture, ASIC-driven next-gen architectures, and neuromorphic storage. Engineering showcases and university presentations were evaluated for novelty, business impact, systems thinking, and problem solving. Winners were recognized with thoughtfully curated prizes, rounding out a day of interactive sessions, Q&As, and knowledge sharing. IB 2025 reflects Western Digital’s ongoing commitment to advancing innovation and supporting India’s engineering talent. Special thanks to those who made this event possible:  Jon Haswell, VP, FW Engg Suraj Rao, VP, IT Kaustubh Patkar, Site Leader, Sr. Director, Engg Anupam Chatterjee, Director, Engg Bharat Belavadi, Sr. Director, IT Kavita Shekhar, Director, HR David Miller, Sr. Dr., R&D Engineering Ashish Lachhwani, Maieutic Semiconductors Professor Dr. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam