- LTO tape sets a new capacity record with 176.5 exabytes sent
- Compression Inflated Numbers Masking Real 70.6eb Uncompressed Data Capacity
- LTO-10 costs are rising threatening tape’s long-standing affordable advantage
The LTO program, supported by HPE, IBM and Quantum, has reported a new high tap capacity shipment with 176.5 exabytes of LTO media sent by 2024.
The message says this marks the fourth equal growing year of the tape format, driven by expanding hybridsky strategies and the requirements of AI and machine learning infrastructure.
However, the figure comes with a star. 176.5EB is a compressed capacity in all, not the raw figure. Based on the LTO program’s standard 2.5: 1 compression ratio is the uncompressed total closer to 70.6EB. It is the actual amount of real data that the tapes could contain if compression does not apply.
Prism barriers
Since compression depends on data type – some files compress well, others like video or encrypted data hardly at all – these numbers can be misleading in terms of practical storage delivered.
“Sets a new growth record for the fourth year in a row, LTO tape technology continues to prove its lifetime as a leading business storage solution,” said Bruno Hald, General Manager, Secondary Storage, Quantum.
“Organizations navigating their way through the AI/ML era have to configure their storage architectures to keep step, and LTO tape technology is an important piece of the puzzle for those seeking a cost-friendly, sustainable and secure solution to support modern technology implementation and the resulting data LTO tape technology this year to bring what follows the storage capacity to the entryers, ”he looks forward to introducing.
However, these “cost -friendly” benefits come under pressure.
LTO-10, the latest generation of tapes, has a high price tag with cartridges selling for between $ 275 and $ 315. It sets it just over 2x costs per day. (Native) terabytes compared to previous versions, and although the capacity of LTO-10 is higher, the speed remains the same as LTO-9.
Phil Goodwin from IDC sees LTO as part of a wider strategy. “Tape’s unique combination of scalability, cost -effectiveness and cyberresilience makes it a valuable component for businesses,” he said.
While tape still offers long-term value, especially as part of a layered storage model, the price of LTO-10 can slowly adopt.
For many companies, it could be difficult to spend hundreds per day. Cartridge when lower costs such as cloud-cold storage continue to expand.
The LTO program emphasizes Tape’s offline resilience and low -energy extraction, but its strongest selling point has always been a price.
For $ 315 for 30 TB built -in storage it’s a harder story to tell.
