IBM Research Center sets a new record for recording data on tape

IBM researchers demonstrated the technology of recording data on the surface of a linear magnetic tape with a record density of 123 billion bits of uncompressed data per square inch at minimal cost. This capacity can be compared with a tape cartridge with a capacity of 220 TB, which easily fits in the palm of your hand.

As a comparison, 220 TB of data are comparable to 1.37 trillion. mobile messages or texts of 220 million books, which would take 2,200 kilometers of bookshelves to accommodate. About the same is the distance from Las Vegas to Houston (Texas).

The breakthrough proves that tape technology, the first product of which was introduced in 1952 with an initial capacity of 2 MB per reel, continues to be an ideal system for storing a huge amount of backup and archival information, as well as an effective solution for new development directions such as big data and cloud computing. The technology presented is 88 times the capacity of an LTO Generation 6 cartridge, an innovative product for storing data on magnetic tape, accepted as the industry standard. In addition, the record density is 22 times higher than IBM’s enterprise-class available tape media.
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According to analyst Coughlin Associates, today more than 500 exabytes of data are stored on tape.
The achieved result was made possible through the use of an improved prototype of magnetic tape, which was jointly developed by the Japanese corporation FUJIFILM and IBM scientists. This is the fourth major discovery made in less than 10 years of collaboration between IBM Research and FUJIFILM.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) uses IBM tape storage to back up and restore information.

“The average data transfer rate to magnetic tape has increased dramatically in recent years and is about 60 TB per day. In addition, the size of our tape library exceeded 5.5 petabytes, ”says Dr. Tilo Steiger, deputy head of ITS System Services at the Swiss Institute of Technology in Zurich. “However, despite the advances made in modern data storage technologies, tape media remains a promising solution for storing large amounts of information thanks to the ability to integrate with the IBM Linear Tape File System and low power consumption.”

“Today’s demonstration is yet another proof that the tape will remain important in the hierarchical structure of data storage systems in the following years,” said IBM Lead Officer Evangelos Elevteriro, who has the honorary status of IBM Fellow. “This success reaffirms IBM’s leadership in tape storage technology.”
Traditionally, magnetic tape is used for local storage of video archives, backup files and copies of data for recovery in emergency situations. At the same time, cloud solutions appear with extremely low cost of data storage (a few cents per gigabyte of data).

Researchers at IBM Research in Zurich are currently studying the integration of tape technology with existing cloud storage systems, such as OpenStack Swift, which will allow you to store objects on magnetic tape. In addition, users can easily move “cold” data (data with a low access rate) to cloud platforms with high stability and extremely low storage costs, optimal for backing up and archiving workflows. An experimental model of this technology will be demonstrated next week in the framework of the Congress of the National Association of Broadcasters at the booth of IBM N5223.



Additional technical details of the demonstration will be presented at the Intermag 2015 conference (May 11-15) in Beijing and the IBM EDGE conference (May 11-15) in Las Vegas.

The following technologies, developed by IBM researchers, made it possible to achieve a recording density of 123 billion bits per square inch:
- a set of advanced servo control technologies, including a high-capacity magnetic head, a new model and servo channel, as well as a tape speed control unit based on an optimized H-infinity system, thanks to which the accuracy of control of positioning read / write heads in the the maximum allowable deviation of 6 nanometers. In addition, the recording density increased to 181,300 tracks per inch and, compared to LTO6, their number increased 39 times;
- improved data recording technology, which uses a new ultrathin layer consisting of particles of barium ferrite;
- innovative signal processing algorithms in the data reading channel for working with an ultra-thin 90-nanometer “super magnetoresistive” read / write head.

Since 2002, IBM has been working closely with FUJIFILM, in particular in the field of optimization of the new generation magnetic tape with double-sided coating based on a magnetic layer of barium ferrite particles (BaFe). The results of the joint work were various advanced technologies, including a sharp increase in the accuracy of controlling the positioning of the read / write heads, which led to an increase in the number of tracks on the tape half an inch wide.

In addition, scientists have developed new innovative methods for detecting and improving the reading accuracy of tiny magnetic bits, thereby providing a 76% increase in linear recording density compared to LTO6 with the ability to use a device for reading 90 nanometers wide.

Many technologies developed and used in data density demonstrations are later introduced into IBM tape drives. In 2007, this happened to an improved data reading channel with the most accurate prediction of read / write errors and the first generation of tape media coated with barium ferrite particles.

IBM's history includes many years of innovation in tape storage systems. The first commercial tape product IBM appeared almost 60 years ago. It was the 726 Magnetic Tape Unit system, which used a half inch wide reel with magnetic tape (1.27 cm) and a capacity of about 2 MB. The achieved value of the density of surface recording on a magnetic tape, announced today, reflects the potential increase in the capacity of storage devices by 110 million times in comparison with the first IBM tape drive. Thus, the solution presented today is another confirmation of IBM's unswerving leadership in the field of tape storage technology.

Additional technical details are available on site.