Record-Breaking Growth in Tape Capacity

Despite shifts in the tech landscape, Linear Tape-Open (LTO) tape storage technology has demonstrated significant growth. The LTO Program Technology Provider Companies, which include HPE, IBM, and Quantum, released their annual tape media shipment report, revealing a record 152.9 Exabytes (EB) of total compressed tape capacity was shipped in 2023. This figure marks an increase from the 148 EB shipped in the previous year, highlighting the technology’s continued expansion and relevance in managing massive data volumes.

The persistent demand for LTO tape is driven by the global data explosion, fueled by advancements in AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data analytics. Organizations are increasingly turning to tape for its cost-effectiveness and long-term data retention capabilities. This market-wide trend contrasts with specific corporate actions, such as when X (formerly Twitter) moved approximately 300 petabytes of its “cold” data to the Google Cloud Platform in late 2023 as part of a data center consolidation effort.

An Air-Gapped Defense Against Ransomware

A primary driver for the sustained adoption of LTO tape is its inherent security features, particularly in an era of rising cyber threats. Tape storage provides a natural “air-gap”—a physical separation between data and the network. When a tape cartridge is removed from the drive and stored offline, it becomes inaccessible to online threats like ransomware. This makes tape a critical component of a comprehensive cybersecurity and data recovery strategy, as the offline data cannot be altered, encrypted, or deleted by malicious actors who breach a network.

The LTO Roadmap: Scaling for Future Data Needs

The LTO program maintains a detailed public roadmap that outlines its commitment to increasing storage capacity for future generations. The current generation, LTO-9, offers 18TB of native capacity, which translates to 45TB of compressed storage. The roadmap specifies significant capacity increases for upcoming generations, with LTO-10 planned to deliver 36TB native capacity (90TB compressed), followed by LTO-11 at 72TB native and LTO-12 at 144TB native.

In line with this roadmap, storage technology company Fujifilm is working on a tape that can hold 40TB of uncompressed data. This development aligns with the capacity goals set for the LTO-10 generation, demonstrating active progress in scaling tape technology to meet the enormous storage demands of the artificial intelligence age.