The IT industry is starting to recycle rare earths in earnest, and is coping with global challenges such as tariff wars and securing supply chains.

Western Digital, a global leader in the data storage industry, today announced that it has launched the world’s first large-scale HDD rare earth recycling pilot program in collaboration with Microsoft and major recycling companies.

This project presents an innovative way to build a resource circulation ecosystem by recovering rare earth elements from discarded hard disk drives (HDDs) in data centers using an eco-friendly chemical process.

HDDs use rare earth elements with high magnetic properties, such as neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), and dysprosium (Dy), which enable precise reading and writing of data.

On the other hand, the existing recycling method had a problem in that the recovery rate of rare earth elements was low, resulting in most resources being discarded.

Through this pilot program, Western Digital and its partners successfully converted approximately 22,700 kg of resources into high value-added resources by recovering rare earth elements and metals such as gold (Au), copper (Cu), and aluminum (Al) using eco-friendly processes and precision separation systems.

In particular, the eco-friendly chemical process that does not use acids reduces greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 95% compared to conventional mining methods, and minimizes carbon emissions and enhances resource circularity by reintroducing rare earth resources into the U.S. supply chain.

This opens up the possibility of utilizing recovered resources in various industrial fields such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, and advanced electronic devices.

This pilot project was conducted based on resources collected from Microsoft data centers and demonstrated both economic feasibility and viability, achieving a rare earth recovery rate of approximately 90%.

Through this project, Western Digital aims to set a new standard for the post-use management of data storage devices, and to move beyond simple resource recycling to transforming them into key resources for a sustainable future.

“This project is a significant milestone in transforming data storage management,” said Jackie Jung, vice president of global operations strategy and corporate sustainability at Western Digital. “Together with our partners, we are transforming end-of-life HDDs into a resource for the future, contributing to the environment and the U.S. economy.”

Microsoft Vice President Chuck Graham continued, “This project is a case that proves the possibility of a circular supply chain for HDDs,” and emphasized sustainable data center operation that aims to reduce waste and carbon emissions across the industry.