IBM scientists just set a new world record where they have managed to store 330TB of data on a single tape, which is the size of a cartridge.
Research scientists at IBM have set a new world record for storing data on tape. The researchers managed to store over 330TB of uncompressed data on a single tape cartridge. The cartridge itself is so small that it would easily fit in someone’s hands. For IBM’s scientists, this is the fifth time they have set a world record when it comes to tape storage; the first was set in 2006. The researchers showcased this achievement at Magnetic Recording Conference (TMRC 2017) in Japan.
According to a press statement from IBM, the new recording density is nearly 20 times more than the current area density being used in commercial tape drives. IBM currently has commercial tape drives, like TS1155 enterprise tape drive and the new prototype will surpass them all. As IBM explains, 330TB data is like story 330 million books, all on a tape as small as a cartridge. The ability to store such large amounts of data on tape storage also demonstrates this form of archiving data is not going away anytime soon. Essentially with this new achievement, IBM managed to store 201 GB of data per inch square on this prototype tape.
“Tape has traditionally been used for video archives, back-up files, replicas for disaster recovery and retention of information on premise, but the industry is also expanding to off-premise applications in the cloud,” said IBM Fellow Evangelos Eleftheriou in a press statement. “While sputtered tape is expected to cost a little more to manufacture than current commercial tape that uses Barium ferrite (BaFe), the potential for very high capacity will make the cost per TB very attractive, making this technology practical for cold storage in the cloud.”
As IBM explains, tape storage is still “most secure, energy efficient and cost-effective solution” for storing large chunks of data, and useful for backing up data, even with cloud computing.
So how did IBM’s researchers manage to fit 330 TB on a single tape? They developed some new technologies, including signal processing algorithms for the data channels. They also relied on an “ultra-narrow 48nm wide tunneling magneto-resistive (TMR) reader,” according to the press statement.
The researchers also built a new kind of low friction tape head technology for this feat. IBM worked with Sony Storage Media Solutions for years in development of such technologies. Sony developed the magnetic tape, which was used by the researchers to ultimate to store such large amounts of data.
