Hitachi GST and Lenovo Sign Agreement

Agreement Recognizes Hitachi’s Reliable, Top Quality Desktop and Notebook Hard Drives and Reinforces China-US Trade Ties

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Lenovo to continue its long-standing relationship as a supplier of hard disk drives (HDD) for the development of PCs and notebooks on a worldwide basis. The MOU was signed at the “2009 U.S.-China Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum” taking place during the Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s customary, commercial purchasing delegation visit to the United States, which aims to improve the trade balance between China and the United States. 

Hitachi has been shipping hard drives to Lenovo long before IBM’s PC business was taken over by Lenovo in 2004. The announcement today not only recognizes and strengthens the successful partnership between Lenovo and Hitachi GST, but also symbolizes the mutual commitment to China-US trade.

Under the 12-month MOU effective April 1, 2009, Lenovo, its affiliates and authorized third-party purchasers will purchase Hitachi GST’s award-winning 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch HDDs for notebook and desktop PC applications respectively, capturing the business opportunities in the PC industry, especially in China. According to IDC 1, China's PC market will rebound by 2010 with 16 percent year-over-year growth. Lenovo also leads the Asian PC market, controlling 16.9 percent of the market2.

“Our continuous worldwide partnership with Lenovo proves that Hitachi GST has been delivering reliable, best-in-class quality products and services,” said Mr. Robert Chu, vice president, Asia Pacific, Hitachi GST. “The MOU signifies the tight and strong partnership between Lenovo and Hitachi GST. More importantly it demonstrates our commitment in improving the trade-balance between China and the United States, which we are pleased to see.”
 

Mr. Wentao Yang, vice president of Global Commodity Procurement, Lenovo said, “Lenovo has a reputation for innovation, reliability and performance, and we require nothing less from our suppliers. We have a successful track record of integrating Hitachi hard disk drives into our award-winning desktops and notebooks, and are confident about our growth plan. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with Hitachi.”

The signing ceremony in Washington D.C. was attended by Mr. Robert Chu and Mr. Wentao Yang at the “2009 U.S.-China Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum”, which was organized by the US Chamber of Commerce and China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronics Products.
 

^{About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building the world's best engineered personal computers. Lenovo's business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group's acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centres in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.}

^{About Hitachi Global Storage Technologies
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) develops advanced hard disk drives, enterprise-class solid state drives, and innovative external storage solutions and services used to store, preserve and manage the world’s most valued data. Founded by the pioneers of hard drives, Hitachi GST provides high-value storage for a broad range of market segments, including Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, Consumer Electronics, and Personal Storage. Hitachi GST was established in 2003 and is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachigst.com.}

^{About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 390,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2007 (ended March 31, 2008) consolidated revenues totaled 11,226 billion yen ($112.3 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, logistics, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.}