(Credit: Sandisk)
Storage giant Sandisk is rebranding its Western Digital Blue and Black lineups, and will sell its internal SSDs for professionals, creators, and gamers under the Sandisk Optimus name.
The Optimus family will be segmented into three lines: elite-performing Optimus GX Pro SSDs, gaming-oriented Optimus GX drives, and Optimus SSDs, primarily for content creators. As shown above, the drives will be clad in spiffy new red, black, and white hues.
A decade ago, Western Digital and SanDisk were among the biggest players in the storage field, with SanDisk primarily focused on SSDs and WD on hard drives. In 2016, WD acquired SanDisk, integrating its operations and producing its own branded SSDs. In March 2025, Western Digital then spun off Sandisk into an independent public company, Sandisk—of which WD still owns a stake—with a lowercase "d", to handle its NAND flash memory-based products, including SSDs, leaving WD to focus on the hard-drive segment.
Through the end of 2025, Sandisk released products bearing Western Digital branding, including the WD Blue SN5100 and the Editors' Choice WD Black SN8100, a rare PCMag 5-star product.
Under the new naming scheme, products that have been in the WD Black stable will be rebranded as Optimus GX Pro or Optimus GX. Sandisk describes GX Pro products as the flagship of its Optimus brand portfolio, representing the pinnacle of performance. These drives are designed for developers, professionals, and gamers who are looking to build AI PCs, workstations, or high-end PCs. GX Pro products will include the SN8100 (as the Optimus GX Pro 8100) and WD Black SN850X as the GX Pro 850X.
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Optimus GX products are gaming SSDs designed for both high performance and energy efficiency. Products to be rebranded include the WD Black SN7100.
Also today, Sandisk announced the Optimus GX 7100M, a small-form-factor (M.2 2230) version of the SN7100, built for handheld gaming consoles and thin-and-light laptops. Available in 1TB and 2TB capacities, this PCI Express 4 SSD features sequential read speeds of up to 7,250MBps and write speeds of up to 6.900MBps.
The Optimus line, formerly WD Blue, is designed for content creators seeking a balance of performance and affordability, it includes the SN5100.
The transition from the WD Black and WD Blue brands to the Sandisk Optimus brand identity begins immediately, with products featuring the updated branding expected to reach select retailers worldwide in the first half of 2026.