Hitachi's Storage Technologies unit announced over the weekend that it will spend $200 million to expand Thailand factory capacity and double hard drive output, that includes the 1-inch, 4GB drive found in the iPod Mini.

Not only the iPod but a wide variety of gadgets will increasingly make use of such small hard drives. Currently iPod Mini's are on a six-week waiting list, that is expected to shorten by year's end with the increased manufacturing capacity that will rise to about 2 million units per quarter by the end of the year, from 200,000 in the first three months of this year, according to Hitachi GST's officials.

These news come just days after Hitachi Storage unit announced that it will be sponsoring the CPL.