Tape Backup: LTO-10 increases to 40 TB

HPE, IBM, and Quantum, the three members of the LTO consortium, have announced new tapes. They are said to store 40 TB, and with the assumed compression factor of 2.5, 100 TB should fit on one cartridge. This one-third increase should appease critics who complained about too little capacity growth at the introduction of the tenth LTO generation at the end of May.

No new technology is needed for the capacity increase; a thinner material simply allows a longer tape to fit on the spool. The tape is made of aramid, a synthetic fiber material known for its high strength, heat resistance, and low weight. The term stands for “aromatic polyamide” and is often used under brand names such as Kevlar, Nomex, or Twaron. Aramids find diverse applications, from bulletproof vests and fire-resistant clothing to reinforcements in aerospace and automotive engineering.

Existing LTO-10 tape drives can use the new higher-capacity tapes. However, admins will have to wait a bit longer to utilize the new capacity: the first tapes are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2026.

Roadmap adjusted

With the increase in LTO-10 capacity, the LTO consortium has also adjusted the roadmap for upcoming LTO versions. LTO-11 is expected to store 70 TB uncompressed, LTO-12 120 TB. After 210 TB for LTO-13 and 365 TB for LTO-14, the roadmap ends; however, we assume that these figures are not only “without guarantee” but will certainly change. For instance, the planned capacity of an LTO-12 tape in the 2018 roadmap was still 192 TB, about one-third more than the current plan. The consortium has not provided dates for the upcoming LTO generations.

LTO, Linear Tape-Open, is the predominant backup medium for large amounts of data. Last year, tape manufacturers were able to deliver tapes with a total capacity of 176.5 exabytes. However, at a compression rate of 2.5, the actual capacity is only 70.6 exabytes.

(ll)