IBM and FujiFilm to make 700GB tape cartridge

The technology was developed for use in the IBM System Storage TS1120 Tape Drive, introduced in 2005, and now the first enterprise-grade tape system to use the 700 GB cartridges.

Back in May, the two companies demonstrated putting a record amount of data onto a test tape at a density of 6.67 billion bits per square inch. The 700 GB cartridge is the result of that R&D by researchers at IBM's Almaden Laboratories in San Jose, Calif.

The 700 GB cartridge is the next step to achieving multiple terabyte storage on a single cartridge, a goal first announced at that time. The cartridge, which is smaller than a typical VHS cassette, will be able to hold the text from 8 million books--volumes that if lined up, would fill 92 kilometers' (57 miles) worth of bookshelves, an IBM spokesperson said.