Enhancements include up to 75TB capacity* and no optimization time needed

The LTO Program Technology Provider Companies (TPCs), Hewlett Packard Enterprise, International Business Machines Corporation and Quantum Corporation, today have publicly released the specifications of LTO Ultrium format generation 10, which is now available for licensing.

LTO-10 delivers 30TB native capacity (up to 75TB compressed) with a native data rate of 400 MBps. LTO-10 offers optimized capacity for customers seeking long term retention storage, enabling them to leverage existing infrastructure while enhancing cost-efficiency, cyber-resiliency, and data durability across archival, compliance, and hybrid cloud environments. LTO-10 enhances usability by eliminating the need for media optimization as seen on LTO-9, providing higher bandwidth interfaces compatible with modern networks, and is delivered with quantum-safe encryption certificates.

“Tape is a widely used storage technology across a variety of industries national governments, high energy particle physics, weather forecasting, finance and insurance, media and entertainment. The latest generation of LTO technology effectively builds upon the capabilities of the previous generation to provide organizations with an even more powerful solution for their ever-growing data storage needs,” said Sam Werner, General Manager, IBM Storage. “LTO-10 is built to set a new bar for storage capacity, data density, and cost efficiency, and also includes post-quantum cryptography certificates for the NIST standardized algorithms that are designed to protect data in this burgeoning era of quantum computing.”

Although LTO-10 does not offer backwards compatibility, it features an innovative new head design intended to improve reliability and performance in itself and for future generations of LTO drives. LTO-10 is designed to significantly lower the total cost of ownership as a result of its 66.6% increased capacity compared to LTO-9. Additionally, with LTO-10, users can potentially save up to hundreds of hours on initial startup by eliminating the media optimization process required in LTO-9. As the world’s first post-quantum cryptography ready tape drive, LTO-10 also provides advanced security during key exchange for dependable data encryption.

“Tape continues to deliver some of the best value in data storage, combining low costs with minimal energy use,” said Phil Goodwin, Research Vice President, Infrastructure Software Platforms, IDC. “In addition, with the vast cyber threat landscape expanding, tape remains an ideal solution for keeping data safe and protected. The many benefits of this technology should not be overlooked as tape advances and organizations reconfigure their data architectures for the modern era.”

Since the first LTO products were brought to market, over 5.7 million drives, 383 million cartridges, and 649 billion GB of media capacity have been shipped, making LTO Ultrium the most successful tape format in history.

To learn more about LTO technology, visit www.lto.org and follow the LTO Program on LinkedIn.

How to License LTO Ultrium Technology

The LTO Program has historically offered several different license packages – from basic packages providing LTO format specifications, to enhanced packages that provide the specifications and licenses to manufacture LTO Ultrium products.

Buyers seeking LTO Ultrium format-compliant products should look for the LTO Ultrium format compliance verification trademarks on both tape drives and data cartridges. Storage and media manufacturers interested in licensing LTO formats may obtain information by contacting the LTO Program at www.lto.org/contact-us/.

About Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Format

The LTO Ultrium format is a powerful, scalable, adaptable open tape format developed and continuously enhanced by technology providers Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM Corporation and Quantum Corporation (and their predecessors) to address the growing demands of data protection in the midrange to enterprise-class server environments. This ultra-high capacity generation of tape storage products is designed to deliver outstanding performance, capacity and reliability combining the advantages of linear multi-channel, bi- directional formats with enhancements in servo technology, data compression, track layout, and error correction. The LTO Ultrium format is licensed to, and format- compliant products are made by, multiple manufacturers; their production is not limited to one sole proprietor.

The LTO Ultrium format has a well-defined roadmap for growth and scalability. The roadmap represents intentions and goals only and is subject to change or withdrawal. There is no guarantee that these goals will be achieved. The roadmap is intended to outline a general direction of technology and should not be relied upon in making a purchasing decision. Format compliance verification is vital to meet the free-interchange objectives that are at the core of the LTO Program. Ultrium tape mechanism and tape cartridge interchange specifications are available on a licensed basis.

For additional information on the LTO Program, visit the LTO Program website at www.lto.org.

*Assumes a 2.5:1 compression achieved with larger compression history buffer available beginning with LTO generation 6 drives.

Note: Linear Tape-Open, LTO, the LTO logo, Ultrium, and the Ultrium logo are registered trademarks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, International Business Machines Corporation and Quantum Corporation in the US and other countries.

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