Brussels, 31/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission opened two separate in-depth investigations, on Monday 30 May, into proposed concentrations in the hard disk drive sector. The first, notified on 19 April, relates the purchase of the hard disk drive production activities of South Korean group Samsung Electronics by the world's largest manufacturer of hard disk drives, Seagate of the United States. The second, notified on 20 April concerns the purchase by another of the sector's major US companies, Western Digital, of the storage business of the Japanese conglomerate Hitachi (which has now become Viviti Technologies). The Commission is concerned over the negative effect on competition since, following the two operations, Western Digital/Hitachi will be the world leader, facing competition only from Seagate/Samsung for 3.5" and from Toshiba, the third largest manufacturer, for 2.5" disks. Given the already very high level of concentration on these markets, the two operations could have a serious effect on the ability to compete and to innovate of the third competitor, Toshiba, and on those, upstream, of the only independent heads supplier, TDK of Japan. (F.G./transl.rt)