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FUJIFILM launches ultra-fast Ultrium9
- 10 September, 2021
AUS: FUJIFILM has launched its new, ultra-fast 45TB FUJIFILM LTO Ultrium9 Data Cartridge (LTO-9). The new LTO-9 data cartridge complies with the ninth generation LTO Ultrium*1 standards for magnetic tape storage media, suitable for backing up and archiving large-capacity data. LTO-9 uses FUJIFILM’s proprietary technology to offer up to 45TB in storage capacity (18TB for non-compressed data) which is 1.5 times larger than LTO-8*2.
Magnetic tapes are attracting an increasing attention as storage media that provides long-term storage of large-capacity data safely at low cost. In addition, it has a significantly lower environmental impact as there is no need to have it constantly powered on during data storage, thereby mitigating the amount of CO2 emissions generated during data storage by 95%*3 compared to hard disk drives (HDDs).
The high capacity, achieved in the new LTO-9, caters to the surging data storage demand amidst the rapid development of IoT technology and acceleration of Digital Transformation, and contributes to mitigating CO2 emissions, an urgent task that must be addressed globally.
The amount of data generated worldwide has exponentially increased in recent years with the introduction of 5G networks and high-definition 4K / 8K video, development of IoT, information and communication technology, and the use of Artificial Intelligence for Big Data analysis. This includes “cold-data,” or data that was generated a long time ago and rarely accessed, which is estimated to account for more than 80% of all data.
The utilisation of accumulated data, including cold data, is rapidly increasing for developing next-generation technologies, and so is the need for reliable and cost-effective long-term storage of such data for future use. Yet, consuming a large amount of electricity for using and storing high-volume data amounts will lead to increased CO2 emissions.
Major data centres and private enterprises are actively adopting renewable energy to satisfy their electricity demand, or building a data infrastructure with minimal power use, in their efforts to address climate change, which is one of the major social issues.
The new LTO-9 features barium ferrite magnetic particles (BaFe magnetic particles), formulated into fine particles with Fujifilm’s proprietary “NANOCUBIC technology*4”, evenly distributed to coat tape surfaces, forming a smooth and thin magnetic layer with minimum unevenness. This has resulted in the maximum storage capacity of 45TB (18TB for non-compressed data), some 1.5 times the capacity of LTO-8.
The new tape also delivers high-speed data transfer reaching 1,000MB/sec*5. (400MB/sec. for non-compressed data) for advanced convenience. Furthermore, there is no need to have it constantly powered on during data storage, thereby reducing the amount of electricity consumption in the process compared to HDDs.
Magnetic tapes can also be stored offline, creating “air gap” as a form of protection to minimise the risk of data damage / loss in cyberattacks. The fact that the storage media provides long-term storage of high-capacity data safely, has made magnetic tape a preferred choice of major data centres and research institutes for many years.
As a manufacturer of computer-use magnetic tapes with the top global market share*6, FUJIFILM will continue to develop and supply high-performance and high-quality media and services that satisfy customer needs and expectations, thereby addressing social issues.
*1 Linear Tape-Open, LTO, the LTO logo, Ultrium and the Ultrium logo are the registered trademarks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Quantum in the United States and other countries. *2 FUJIFILM LTO Ultrium8 Data Cartridge that complies with the eighth generation LTO Ultrium standards. *3 When saving 100PB (petabytes) of data for ten years, storing it on magnetic tape generates 95% less CO2 emissions (approx. 2,400 tons) during the storage than doing so on HDD. (Source: Brad Johns Consulting, LLC “Improving Information Technology Sustainability with Modern Tape Storage”). *4 Fujifilm's nanotechnology-based magnetic tape technology with thin coating to achieve high-density magnetic data recording. It consists of the “nano-particle technology” for formulating magnetic particles into nano-sized particles, “nano-dispersion technology” for evenly dispersing and arranging nano-sized magnetic particles, and “nano-coating technology” for achieving the coating of the ultra-thin layer. *5 Depends on the drive interface. *6 Manufacturer share, according to FUJIFILM and “Re-writable type” that allows data to be re-written.
