IBM has claimed its fifth-in-succession world tape density record with a 330TB raw capacity technology using Sony tape media tech.
Back in April, 2015 IBM and Fujitsu demonstrated a 123 billion bits/in2 220TB tape using so-called Nanocubic technology and barium ferrite tape media.
This time around, IBM's tape drive researchers are working with Sony Storage Media Solutions and its sputtered media. Engineering developments have enabled an areal density of 201Gb/in2.
Their technology includes:
- New signal-processing algorithms for the data channel, based on noise-predictive detection principles, enabling reliable operation at a linear density of 818,000 bits per inch with an ultra-narrow 48nm-wide tunnelling magneto-resistive (TMR) reader.
- A set of combined advanced servo control technologies that enable head positioning with an accuracy of better than 7 nanometres.
- Use of a 48nm-wide TMR hard disk drive read head, which enables a track density of 246,200 tracks per inch, a 13-fold increase over the TS1155 tape drive.
- New low-friction tape head technology that permits use of very smooth tape media.
IBM and Sony have developed magnetic tape that can store 201 gigabits per square inch, enabling the creation of a 330 TB (uncompressed) tape cartridge:
To achieve such a dramatic increase in areal density, Sony and IBM tackled different parts of the problem: Sony developed a new type of tape that has a higher density of magnetic recording sites, and IBM Research worked on new heads and signal processing tech to actually read and extract data from those nanometre-long patches of magnetism.
Sony's new tape is underpinned by two novel technologies: an improved built-in lubricant layer, which keeps it running smoothly through the machine, and a new type of magnetic layer. Usually, a tape's magnetic layer is applied in liquid form, kind of like paint—which is one of the reasons that magnetic tape is so cheap and easy to produce in huge quantities. In this case, Sony has instead used sputter deposition, a mature technique that has been used by the semiconductor and hard drive industries for decades to lay down thin films.
LTO-7 stores 6 TB uncompressed. The last Linear Tape-Open release on the roadmap, LTO-10, is planned to store 48 TB. This technology would be used for LTO-12 or LTO-13.
Also at The Verge, ZDNet, The Register, and YouTube (2m12s, IBM Research).
201 Gb/in² Recording Areal Density on Sputtered Magnetic Tape (DOI: 10.1109/TMAG.2017.2727822) (DX)
Previously: IBM and FUJIFILM Create Equivalent of 220 TB Tape Cartridge
Original Submission #1 Original Submission #2 Original Submission #3
Related Stories
IBM and FUJIFILM have demonstrated the equivalent of an LTO magnetic tape cartridge with a capacity of 220 terabytes.
To achieve 123 billion bits per square inch, IBM researchers developed several new technologies, including:
- A set of advanced servo control technologies that include a high bandwidth head actuator, a servo pattern and servo channel and a set of tape speed optimized H-infinity track follow controllers that together enable head positioning with an accuracy better than 6 nanometers. This enables a track density of 181,300 tracks per inch, a more than 39 fold increase over LTO6.
- An enhanced write field head technology that enables the use of much finer barium ferrite (BaFe) particles.
- Innovative signal-processing algorithms for the data channel, based on noise-predictive detection principles, enable reliable operation with an ultra narrow 90nm wide giant magnetoresistive (GMR) reader.
Rumors of tape's death are greatly exaggerated; LTO-6 tape pricing has fallen to $0.02 per GB, and a record 6.6 exabytes of tape were shipped in Q3 2014. The LTO roadmap calls for 48 terabyte LTO-10 tapes at some point in the future. Each new generation of LTO roughly doubles capacity, so a 200 TB LTO-12 tape may be slated for 2030.
In April 2014, Sony announced the development of 148 Gb/in2 tape that could enable a 185 TB tape cartridge. A month later, IBM and FUJIFILM announced that they had achieved the equivalent of an 85.9 Gb/in2, 154 TB tape. The new tape is based on the same NANOCUBIC™ technology.
Edit: Changed to reflect a tape cost of $8/TB compressed, $20/TB uncompressed.
The Linear Tape-Open standard will be extended by another two generations, increasing raw/uncompressed capacity from LTO-8's 12 TB to 192 TB on an LTO-12 tape:
The LTO Program Technology Provider Companies (TPCs), Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Quantum, announced the specifications of the latest LTO Ultrium format, generation 8, which is now available for licensing by media manufacturers.
The LTO Program also released a new LTO technology roadmap, detailing specifications up to twelve (12) generations of tape technology, extending the total capacity of data held on one LTO Ultrium generation 12 tape cartridge to 480TB – an increase of 32 times the capacity of current-generation 7 cartridges.
The new LTO generation 8 specifications are designed to double the tape cartridge capacity from the previous LTO generation 7, with customers now being able to store up to 30TB per cartridge when compressed. In an effort to push the innovation boundaries of tape technology going forward, the current LTO format required a recording technology transition that supports capacity growth for future LTO generations. To address this technological shift and maintain affordability in times of extreme data growth, the latest LTO generation 8 specifications are intended to be only backwards compatible with LTO generation 7 cartridges.
Despite records like 220-330 TB uncompressed in the laboratory, these 100+ TB capacities won't be available for a while:
[Spectra Logic's] CEO and founder, Nathan Thompson, said: "Spectra foresees the availability of LTO-9 at 24TB per tape cartridge in two years; LTO-10 at 48TB in four years; LTO-11 at 96TB in six or seven years; and LTO-12 at 190+TB in eight to nine years. I firmly believe that no other commercial data storage technology available now or on the horizon, will keep pace with or fulfill the world's increasing demand for cost-effective, long-term data storage like tape technology."
Also at IT Jungle.
Previously: IBM and FUJIFILM Create Equivalent of 220 TB Tape Cartridge
LTO Tape Sales Remain Steady
IBM Claims Densest Tape Storage Record (330 TB)
(Score: 2) by Arik on Thursday August 03 2017, @04:37AM (8 children)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 5, Informative) by takyon on Thursday August 03 2017, @04:50AM (5 children)
(226195.2 / 14.18055) * 330 = 5,263,859 TB or about 5.2639 exabytes.
Multiply by the 2.5:1 compression to get 13,159,647.5 TB or about 13.16 exabytes.
http://www.classiccmp.org/pipermail/cctalk/2016-June/023419.html [classiccmp.org]
http://www.tidbitsfortechs.com/2013/09/never-underestimate-the-bandwidth-of-a-station-wagon-filled-with-backup-tapes/ [tidbitsfortechs.com]
IBM LTO Ultrium 4 800 GB Data Cartridge
Cartridge size 4.02 in L x 4.15 in W x 0.85 D (102.0 mm x 105.4 mm x 21.5 mm)
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Disagree) by Arik on Thursday August 03 2017, @05:20AM (4 children)
One quibble though. I know manufacturers always love to push those 'compressed' numbers but calling them speculative would be insulting to speculators. Of course the files to be backed up are nearly always completely uncompressable, particularly the ones large enough to matter.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by fakefuck39 on Thursday August 03 2017, @09:47AM (3 children)
Waaaat. Where is it that you're getting all that uncompressable data? Have you ever had a job, at any company? You know - "company" - as in "corporation" - as in the people who store most of that data in the world?
Data is stored on disks. Disks have data at rest encryption. Most things now are compressed on disk as well, especially if it's stored on flash. A block-based device gets compression of about 2:1 for active data. Tape gets higher because it doesn't have to worry about fast decompression and random access. CAS-type and other dedup+compress devices get about 6:1 compression. For active data. See things like EMC VMAX and XIO. These are not marketing numbers - those are about a third more.
People store movies and photos. That's not where the world's data is, and that's not what LTO tapes are for. Dear moron, before teaching us things and using phrases like "Of course":
1) get a real job at a real company
2) say something you actually know something about.
(Score: 2) by sgleysti on Thursday August 03 2017, @05:20PM (2 children)
Maybe his job involves running very rigorous qualification tests on state of the art, high speed, hardware random number generators, and he needs to keep the datasets for quality assurance and auditing purposes.
Or, far more likely, he would be storing audio and video files that are already highly compressed. This is the most likely consumer scenario, although backing up widely available data (movies, music) strikes me as strange. Perhaps they are family videos.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday August 04 2017, @01:33AM (1 child)
Backup of studio raw 4k video?
Some people actually do video for a living..
(Score: 2) by sgleysti on Friday August 04 2017, @04:17AM
Ah, good call.
(Score: 2, Funny) by davester666 on Thursday August 03 2017, @06:32AM (1 child)
It's about 5% as dense as Trump is.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 03 2017, @02:04PM
What an optimist.
(Score: 2) by jasassin on Thursday August 03 2017, @05:12AM
One of these drives and three or four tapes and I can back up my entire prono collection!
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Thursday August 03 2017, @06:10AM (8 children)
Since IBM is teaming up with SONY, that means these cartridges will be so ridiculously expensive, and so completely proprietary (with them not being available from any other manufacturers) that it won't make any financial sense to actually adopt them.
(Score: 2) by Dr Spin on Thursday August 03 2017, @08:44AM (1 child)
You forgot:
And both drives and media will be obsolete long before you ever want to restore the backups.
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Thursday August 03 2017, @02:32PM
Maybe, maybe not. LTO drives and tapes don't have this problem, and lots of companies rely on them for archival backups. However, LTO is an industry standard to my knowledge, so you can mix and match drives and tapes from different vendors. This SONY shit won't be like that, it'll be all ultra-proprietary SONY like all the garbage they push.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 03 2017, @09:01AM (1 child)
Like when Philips and Sony got together and announced the Compact Disc. Sony ruins whatever it touches.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Thursday August 03 2017, @02:33PM
That was the 70s, man. SONY hasn't done anything like that since disco was king.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 03 2017, @12:46PM (1 child)
Also will come with rootkit.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday August 03 2017, @02:25PM
So buy it from IBM, Quantum, HPE, or FUJIFILM instead:
https://www.tapeandmedia.com/lto-7-tape-media-tapes.asp [tapeandmedia.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 03 2017, @02:01PM
Did they happen to mention R/W speed? They can sell these to three letter agencies.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday August 04 2017, @01:35AM
Makes me wonder.. will it be using SCSI control blocks and commands?
Connection via Fiber channel, S-ATA, SCSI, Ethernet?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 03 2017, @06:38AM (1 child)
You heard the man, this is the newest shiny!
(Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Thursday August 03 2017, @11:15AM
The new AMD Radeon STG is great! Advanced GPU with 330 TB of on-board tape!
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday August 04 2017, @01:48AM
How do they get the head to stay at the right distance towards the tape? the 7 nm margin within each track is one thing. Getting the head to stay at the correct distance is likely a lot trickier.