Other
Research and development expense
Western Digital Research and development expense increased by 1.7% to $294.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 20.0%, from $245.00M to $294.00M. Over 2 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Research and development expense shows a downward trend with a -33.4% CAGR.
Analysis
StatementIncome Statement
SectionOther
CategoryGrowth
SignalContext dependent
VolatilityModerate
First reportedQ1 2014
Last reportedQ3 2026Apr 30, 2026
How to read this metric
Higher spending typically signals a commitment to long-term innovation and future product pipelines, while significant cuts may signal a shift toward short-term profitability.
Detailed definition
This metric captures the investment in creating new products, improving existing technologies, and advancing internal ca...
Peer comparison
Standard metric for technology and hardware firms; highly comparable to R&D spending at peers.
Metric ID:
other_research_and_development_expense_excluding_acquire_88a3cdHistorical Data
19 periods
| Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | Q2 '26 | Q3 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $555.00M | $598.00M | $578.00M | $575.00M | $572.00M | $598.00M | $552.00M | $523.00M | $476.00M | $431.00M | $444.00M | $243.00M | $262.00M | $225.00M | $245.00M | $262.00M | $294.00M | $289.00M | $294.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +7.7% | -3.3% | -0.5% | -0.5% | +4.5% | -7.7% | -5.3% | -9.0% | -9.5% | +3.0% | -45.3% | +7.8% | -14.1% | +8.9% | +6.9% | +12.2% | -1.7% | +1.7% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +3.1% | +0.0% | -4.5% | -9.0% | -16.8% | -21.9% | -15.1% | -48.9% | -39.2% | -49.3% | +0.8% | — | +12.2% | +28.4% | +20.0% |
Range$225.00M – $598.00M
CAGR-13.2%
Avg YoY Growth-10.0%
Median YoY Growth-6.8%
Research and development expense at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Western Digital's research and development expense?
- Western Digital (WDC) reported research and development expense of $294.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Western Digital's research and development expense changed year-over-year?
- Western Digital's research and development expense increased by 20.0% year-over-year, from $245.00M to $294.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Western Digital's research and development expense?
- Over 2 years (2021 to 2025), Western Digital's research and development expense has grown at a -33.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $2.24B to $994.00M.
- What does research and development expense mean?
- Spending on innovation and product development.