IBM Creates 50TB Tape Drive

IBM has unveiled its latest magnetic tape drive and cartridge, which offers more than double the storage capacity of previous models. The new TS1170 drive can store 50TB of uncompressed data per tape cartridge (or 150TB with compression), representing a 250 percent increase over its predecessor.

It boasts a native data rate of 400 MB/s, which increases to 900 MB/s for compressed data. IBM offers two versions of the drive, each with different interfaces, and it can be used in various setups, including cloud-based environments. However, it’s not compatible with older cartridge types, and only one system can use it at a time.