Seagate Technology Invests £100M in Nano-Photonic R&D

News Desk - 15/09/2025

Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ: STX), an innovator in mass-capacity data storage, has announced a major investment in breakthrough nano-photonic technology in Northern Ireland. The company revealed it will invest £100 million over five years, supported by £15 million from Invest NI, the region’s economic development agency. The project aims to boost Derry/Londonderry’s economy and develop Seagate’s Mozaic 6+ technology.

To meet rising global demand for data storage, driven by AI and hyperscale data centers, Seagate reported it is developing advanced hard drives with industry-leading capacities. These investments are expected to usher in the next generation of hard drive innovation at Seagate’s Derry/Londonderry facility.

John Morris, CTO of Seagate Technology, said: “In today’s AI-driven world, data volume is growing rapidly. Our Northern Ireland facility is a global center of excellence, producing over a quarter of the world’s recording heads and pioneering semiconductor laser R&D. With Invest NI’s support, we are accelerating development toward 60TB drives and laying the foundation for 100TB capacities.”

Kieran Donoghue, Chief Executive at Invest NI, added: “We are delighted to support Seagate with this project. It secures new recording head and laser technology development and positions Northern Ireland at the forefront of innovation.”

The combined investments are expected to create highly skilled jobs in R&D and manufacturing. They will also expand the local supplier ecosystem through increased materials and labor sourcing from the community.

Fergus O’Donnell, VP of Wafer Operations NI, said: “This commitment will drive opportunity for our community and strengthen Seagate’s leadership in technology and manufacturing excellence.”

Seagate’s collaborations with local universities, including Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University, are advancing R&D capabilities. The Smart Nano NI Consortium, a regional program for nano-photonics, is helping develop smarter, more efficient technologies that benefit local businesses and research groups.

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