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The story
Fujifilm announced it will expand its production capacity for data-storage magnetic tape fivefold, responding to a surge in data volumes driven by the spread of generative AI. Magnetic tape is getting a second look because it can be stored disconnected from any network, lowering the risk of data leaks from unauthorized access. Over on 5ch, the thread filled up with back-and-forth over the math behind 100TB-per-cartridge capacities and transfer speeds, nostalgic reminiscing about past storage formats like cassette tapes, MiniDiscs, DVDs, and Blu-ray, and it even spiraled into worries about SSD lifespans and a durability debate over whether paper or stone outlasts anything digital.
Published 11/13 (Fri) 11:42
TV Asahi (ANN)
Fujifilm has announced it will increase its production capacity for data-storage magnetic tape fivefold. Amid growing calls for countermeasures against information leaks from unauthorized access, the old-school technology of storing data on tape disconnected from any network is getting fresh attention.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
One cartridge holds 100TB, you know
Sansui used to make a PCM processor meant for use with VCRs
If it's longevity you're after, punched tape is the real champion
Makes you wonder if an overnight backup would even finish in time
Even defragging a hard disk on Windows 85 sometimes took all night, so there's no way magnetic tape finishes in time
The fastest spec out right now tops out at
400MB/sec
so for 100TB that works out to about 250 seconds (4 min 10 sec).
Faster than instant udon (5 min), but slower than Cup Noodles (3 min), apparently.
For sheer durability, writing onto stone or ceramic has to be the strongest option
History actually backs this up too — things like the Rosetta Stone prove information can survive since before the common era
The only downside is that once it's written, rewriting it is basically impossible
Is magnetic tape still in active use where you work?
What do you use it for?
Hanko (personal seal) shops are about to make a huge comeback
Contracts have gone digital with DX (digital transformation) too, so if the cloud ever goes down entirely, that's going to be a disaster
Why would you assume that's a problem?
↓
Cassette tape
↓
DAT, LaserDisc
↓
CD
↓
MD (MiniDisc)
↓
DVD
↓
Blu-ray
Spare a thought for HD DVD every once in a while too
Zip disks….
You left out the L-cassette
Start over
Way too much missing — Micro Ace cassette, VHD, and more
Are they just forcing this into a 'ramp up tape production' story?
Tape lasts 200 years, but SSDs degrade over time, don't they?
True
Networks exist for real-time sharing
If all you need is to preserve records with today's latest systems, just keep them isolated from the network
Heard SSDs can just die suddenly without warning, which is scary
Haven't experienced it myself though
Wasn't that for AXIA (Fujifilm's old cassette tape brand)?
Re: #76
Saito Yuki is still going strong, you know
Those were pretty excuse-laden lyrics about a woman two-timing someone
Lyrics by Natsuo Giniro, music by Kenjiro Sakitani
Betamax too, please
The Beta deck I used to own could do PCM recording if you attached the optional PCM module
Which means it could already write digital data
18TB for 24,380 yen
https://lto.co.jp/pic-labo/archival_life01.jpg
By the way, do they even sell data cassette decks for regular consumers? Or do you just run that screechy modem-style noise through a regular audio deck?
Nobody's actually reading or writing data on cassette tape these days anyway
Kansas City standard
'Sapporo City standard' (a joking riff on that old data-over-cassette format)
Background and key points of this topic
Magnetic tape has all but disappeared as a consumer storage medium, but it’s alive and well in the enterprise world under the LTO standard, still widely used for backups today. The reason it’s being ‘rediscovered’ now comes down to the rising value of ‘air-gapped’ storage — keeping data physically disconnected from the network — as a defense against ransomware. The thread lit up with nostalgia over old storage formats, but there were also level-headed comments pointing out that there’s nothing new about something that’s ‘still in use anyway,’ with some even pushing back on the article’s framing of it as a ‘rediscovery.’ While magnetic tape is considered to outlast SSDs for long-term storage, its slow read speed and poor searchability remain real drawbacks.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “Magnetic Tape Back in the Spotlight — Generative AI Boom Drives Massive Data Growth, Demand Rises as Leak Risk Stays Low.”
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