IBM to develop 35TB data tape, 39 times denser than current magnetic tapes

29th January, 2010 by Adina
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IBM has announced a big step forward in developing a higher density magnetic tape. It has recorded data onto a prototype magnetic tape made of dual-coat barium ferrite, at a density of 29.5 billion bits per square inch. This is 39 times denser than any current magnetic tape is capable of. New technologies developed with the help of FujiFilm would achieve this over three years.

Magnetic tape is dating back 60 years and is therefore not only one of the oldest data storage media, but also the least expensive. When comparing a per-gigabyte basis, backup on digital tape is somewhere between the fifth and the tenth of the price of hard drive storage. Tape storage is also most energy efficient. A single cartridge of the new tape may hold uncompressed data of up to 35TB.

Researchers have improved the precision of positioning the read/write heads in order to achieve a density of 25 times more tracks onto the 0.5-inch wide tape. The smaller bits of information are now read with an improved accuracy by using advanced detection methods. Thus, linear recording density was increased by 50 percent. IBM Research also developed a new low-friction read/write head.

IBM has not given any details about when the new data tape would be available for current use.


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