IBM says magnetic tape remains competitive for cold cloud storage

IBM announced a new world record for tape storage density: 201 Gb/in2 (gigabits per square inch) in areal density. This is more than 20 times the areal density used in current state of the art commercial tape drives such as the IBM TS1155 enterprise tape drive. IBM said this breakthrough enables the potential to record up to about 330 terabytes (TB) of uncompressed data* on a single tape cartridge that would fit in the palm of your hand.

The record was achieved on a prototype sputtered magnetic tape developed by Sony Storage Media Solutions.  IBM researchers developed several technologies to make this possible, including: new signal-processing algorithms for the data channel, based on noise-predictive detection principles; a set of advanced servo control technologies that when combined enable head positioning with an accuracy of better than 7 nanometers; a novel low friction tape head technology that permits the use of very smooth tape media.

IBM also noted that the potential exists to continue improving tape storage density at the current pace for many years to come.

“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. “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.”

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/52904.wss