Research scientists at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory announce the development of a new type of magnetic tape, one that is capable of storing data at a considerably higher density than any other, similar tape. Largely popular in the 1980s and 1990s for music storage, magnetic tapes have been replaced by CDs and DVDs on the end-user markets, but they are still the medium of choice when it comes to the storage of massive amounts of data. In addition to offering an increased space on tape cartridges of standard size, the IBM innovation also hints at the fact that magnetic tapes will be around for many years to come, and that breakthroughs in researching them are still possible.

“The scientists at IBM Research – Zurich, in cooperation with the FUJIFILM Corporation of Japan, recorded data onto an advanced prototype tape, at a density of 29.5 billion bits per square inch – about 39 times the areal data density of today's most popular industry-standard magnetic tape product. To achieve this feat, IBM Research has developed several new critical technologies, and for the past three years worked closely with FUJIFILM to optimize its next-generation dual-coat magnetic tape based on barium ferrite (BaFe) particles,” researchers at the lab write in a statement.

“This exciting achievement shows that tape storage is alive and strong and will continue to provide users reliable data protection, while maintaining a cost advantage over other storage technologies, including hard disk drives and flash,” the Vice President of IBM Tape and Archive Storage Systems, Cindy Grossman, adds. In other words, the new cartridges developed in Switzerland will hold in excess of 35 trillion bytes (terabytes) of uncompressed data. Researchers at IBM say that they want to go as far as being able to incorporate about 100 billion bits per square inch, which would mean even higher cartridge capabilities.

As the world advances progressively towards becoming more interconnected than ever before, it will produce increasingly large volumes of raw data. These will include transportation traffic patterns, the food supply chain, image-rich media, and health and financial industries, and all will be stored on magnetic tapes. The sheer volume of bytes will overwhelm any possible cluster of hard disk drives or flash memories, so the continued innovation in magnetic-tape technology is key. IBM has been the leader in this field for the past 60 years, and its latest innovation proves again the company's commitment towards keeping its position.