WD Named to 2026 S&P Dow Jones Best‑in‑Class Index North America, Recognizing Leadership in Sustainable AI Infrastructure

First‑Time Inclusion Reflects WD's Leadership in Building the Sustainable, Scalable and Energy-Efficient Infrastructure Needed for the AI-Driven Data Economy

Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) today announced it has been included in the 2026 S&P Dow Jones Best‑in‑Class Index (DJ BIC) North America for the first time, recognizing the company's leadership in building sustainable infrastructure for AI systems operating at increasing scale. The inclusion, effective May 1, 2026, reflects WD's strong performance across environmental, social, governance, and economic pillars.

The S&P DJ BIC North America recognizes sustainability leaders among the largest 600 companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index. Within the Technology Hardware and Equipment industry, WD is one of only seven U.S. companies selected, underscoring the company's trusted disclosures, disciplined governance, and commitment to responsible business practices at scale.

As AI adoption accelerates, the volume of data being generated, processed, and retained continues to grow exponentially, placing increased emphasis on infrastructure that is not only reliable and cost-efficient, but also energy efficient and sustainably designed for long-term operation at scale. AI infrastructure is increasingly becoming a data systems challenge, where sustainability, efficiency, and operational durability are foundational requirements, not secondary considerations.

WD's inclusion in the DJ BIC Index reflects recognition of its holistic approach to sustainability as a core enabler of AI infrastructure, spanning product efficiency, operational performance, and supply chain accountability.

Earlier this year, WD earned a CDP A‑ Leadership level rating for climate, recognizing its global leadership in climate transparency and performance. The DJ BIC Index inclusion further reinforces WD's integrated sustainability strategy and its progress as a sustainability leader across North America.

"As AI continues to scale, sustainability becomes inseparable from infrastructure design itself. The ability to store and manage rapidly growing volumes of data efficiently and responsibly over the long term is increasingly critical to the future of AI infrastructure," said Jackie Jung, Chief Sustainability Officer at WD. "Our inclusion in the S&P Dow Jones Best‑in‑Class Index North America reflects how we are integrating sustainability across our operations, products, and supply chain to deliver AI infrastructure customers can trust to scale responsibly."

As the AI-driven data economy expands, sustainable infrastructure design will become increasingly central to how organizations scale data systems responsibly and efficiently.

The 2026 S&P DJ BIC Index results were announced on April 23, 2026. Additional information on the index and selection methodology is available from S&P Dow Jones Indices.

About WD

WD, also known as Western Digital, builds the storage infrastructure that powers certainty in the AI-driven data economy. At the forefront of innovation, WD partners with the world's leading hyperscalers, cloud service providers, and enterprises to deliver reliable storage solutions that are proven and trusted at scale. Driven by a culture of innovation and execution, WD helps customers store, protect, and use the world's data with confidence. Follow WD on LinkedIn and learn more at www.wd.com.

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