The FD1771 and its kin were Western Digital's first entry into the data storage industry by the early 1980s, they were making hard disk drive controllers, and in 1983, they won the contract to provide IBM with controllers for the PC/AT. However, the WD integrated circuit that arguably drove Western's forward integration was the FD1771, one of the first single-chip floppy disk drive formatter/controllers, which could replace significant amounts of TTL logic.

The MCP-1600 was used to implement DEC's LSI-11 system, the WD16, and their own Pascal MicroEngine microcomputer which ran the UCSD p-System Version III and UCSD Pascal. Western Digital introduced several products during the late 1970s, including the MCP-1600 multi-chip, microcoded CPU. In 1973, Western Digital established its Malaysian plant, initially to manufacture semiconductors. Chuck Missler joined Western Digital as chairman and chief executive in June 1977, and became the largest shareholder of Western Digital. After this, Emerson Electric withdrew their support of the company.

The oil crisis of the mid-1970s and the bankruptcy of its biggest calculator customer, Bowmar Instrument, changed its fortunes, however, and in 1976 Western Digital declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Around July 1971, it adopted its current name and soon introduced its first product, the WD1402A UART.ĭuring the early 1970s, the company focused on making and selling calculator chips, and by 1975, Western Digital was the largest independent calculator chip maker in the world. It rapidly became a specialty semiconductor maker, with start-up capital provided by several individual investors and industrial giant Emerson Electric.

It was originally based in Newport Beach, California, shortly thereafter moving to Santa Ana, California, and would go on to become one of the largest technology firms headquartered in Orange County. Phillips, a Motorola employee, as General Digital Corporation, initially a manufacturer of MOS test equipment.

Western Digital was founded on April 23, 1970, by Alvin B. First headquarters of Western Digital (then General Digital) in Newport Beach, California, pictured in 1971

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