Why Western Digital (WDC) fell 15.76%
Western Digital (WDC) fell 15.76% on August 5, 2026 — SanDisk misses forecast; AI Memory selloff drags peers.
What happened
SanDisk, the memory supplier to data centers and consumer devices, issued a revenue forecast that missed Wall Street expectations, triggering a broad selloff in the AI Memory theme.
Why it moved
Western Digital, which owns SanDisk, moves in lockstep with memory demand signals; a weaker forecast from SanDisk implies softer NAND provisioning across the AI infrastructure cycle, pressuring the parent's near-term…
Why it matters
The AI Memory supercycle rode a wave of hyperscaler CapEx and AI model training demand; SanDisk's miss signals that memory provisioning may be normalizing faster than the market priced, deflating the theme-wide rally.
What would break the thesis
If downstream inventory clears faster than expected or demand accelerates in Q2, management could raise guidance — a reversal would quickly repair this sell-off.