Western Digital (WD) has entered the storage security race by unveiling enterprise HDDs equipped with Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). With the volume of long-term data storage surging in AI data centers, the industry is paying close attention as hardware-level security systems designed for the quantum computing era are expanding into actual product lines.

WD announced on the 19th that it has applied the NIST-approved PQC algorithm to its Ultrastar DC HC6100 UltraSMR HDD. The product is currently undergoing certification and verification procedures with select hyperscale customers.

This announcement aligns with the trend that the response to quantum computing threats is moving beyond theoretical discussions to the actual infrastructure design phase. Last year, the U.S. NIST formalized the transition to a next-generation security system by standardizing quantum-resistant cryptography, and the server, network, and cloud industries are also expanding efforts to overhaul their firmware and certification systems.

In particular, the background cited is that the threat of 'Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL)' is emerging as a real problem as data retention periods lengthen due to the proliferation of AI infrastructure. This is a method in which currently encrypted data is collected in advance and then decrypted once quantum computer capabilities are sufficiently developed. This is why not only the financial, public, and defense sectors, but also cloud service providers holding large-scale AI training data, are reviewing long-term data protection systems.

WD focused on protecting the device trust system rather than encrypting stored data in this product. It applied the NIST PQC standard ML-DSA-87 (FIPS 204) for firmware signing and adopted a dual-signature structure that runs in parallel with existing RSA-3072-based signatures. The company also explained that it has established a PQC-based Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Hardware Security Module (HSM) operating system.

The industry interprets this announcement as an extension of the competition for data center infrastructure reliability rather than a competition in HDD performance itself. This is because server and storage vendors are redesigning their security systems from a long-term infrastructure perspective, as the volume and retention periods of stored data have increased simultaneously following the spread of generative AI.

WD plans to expand the application of PQC to additional enterprise HDD product lines in the future. Analysis suggests that the storage industry is also increasingly likely to establish quantum response technology as a basic infrastructure requirement rather than an optional feature.