IBM squeezes terabytes onto new storage tapes

Valhalla (NY) - IBM and Fujifilm have partnered up to develop magnetic tape technology that can store up to 6.67 billion bits per square inch, or 8 terabytes on a single cartridge. This is an increase of about 15 times over current technology. IBM developed the reader, while Fuji helped develop the barium ferrite crystal film.

Tape drives have traditionally been used to archive data. Firms like Iron Mountain pick up the tapes and store them off-site, just in case the original data center is destroyed. With the decreasing costs of hard-drives, some companies are switching over to disk-based solutions, but IBM estimates that more than 57 million tapes will be sold world-wide with a total storage capacity of 8500 petabytes.

IBM says the tapes will be available in about five years.