IBM details huge improvement in data storage
Researchers at International Business Machines Corp. say a new method for cramming data onto magnetic tape will increase storage capacity at least 15 times, enough to squeeze the text from 8 million books onto a cartridge half the size of a VHS tape. With this method one square inch of tape could hold 6.67 billion bits of data. The new method is expected to be on the market in about five years.
Scientists at IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif., planned to announce Tuesday that they have invented a process for stuffing 6.67 billion bits into a square inch of tape and 8 terabytes – roughly 8 trillion bytes – on a single cartridge. They contend that would be 15 to 20 times denser than today’s industry-standard tape products. IBM worked with Fuji Photo Film Co. to change the material that makes up the tape, and also improved the way data can be read and written.
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