FUJIFILM Launches LTO Ultrium 9 Data Cartridge, increasing capacity and speed for the next generation of secure data storage

VALHALLA, N.Y.,  September 7, 2021 – FUJIFILM Recording Media U.S.A., Inc. is pleased to announce the launch and availability of its FUJIFILM LTO Ultrium 9 Data Cartridge (LTO-9). Fujifilm’s LTO-9 complies with the ninth generation LTO Ultrium*² standards for magnetic tape storage media, marking a new standard of performance for backing up and archiving large volumes of data. Fujifilm’s LTO-9 uses proprietary technology to offer up to 45TB of storage capacity (18TB for non-compressed data), a 50% increase from the previous generation of LTO tape*³. 

Magnetic tape is increasingly recognized as an ideal storage media for long term archival of high-volume data, safely at low-cost. In addition, tape has a significantly lower environmental impact as there is no need to have it constantly powered-on during data storage, thereby reducing CO2 emissions generated during its lifecycle by 95%*⁴ when compared to hard disk drives (HDDs).

“FUJIFILM LTO Ultrium 9 will meet the world’s growing demands for data storage, cybersecurity and reduced climate impact,” said Hironobu Taketomi, President, FUJIFILM Recording Media U.S.A., Inc.. “This next generation of higher capacity and faster tape storage media represents a significant step towards reducing costs, lowering energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and leveraging tape’s inherent security benefits.”

Increased capacity meets growing data demands at lower cost 
The amount of data generated worldwide has increased exponentially in recent years with the introduction of 5G networks, high-definition video, the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and more. As much as 80% of all data is estimated to be “cold” or rarely-accessed data that can be effectively and more economically moved to a tape storage tier, which offers the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) of any storage media. 

Less energy consumed results in lower carbon emissions
To address climate change, major data centers and private enterprises are actively adopting renewable energy, or building a data infrastructure that minimizes power use.The reduced energy consumption of tape storage simultaneously reduces energy costs and CO2 emissions.*¹

Increased capacity. Increased speed.
Fujifilm’s new LTO-9 achieves its increased storage capacity using barium ferrite (BaFe) magnetic particles, formulated into fine particles with Fujifilm’s advanced “NANOCUBIC technology*⁵”, evenly distributed to coat tape surfaces, forming a smooth and thin magnetic layer. LTO-9 also delivers high-speed data transfer reaching up to 1,000MB/sec. for compressed data (400MB/sec. native), a 25% increase over LTO-8.⁶

Offline storage offers protection against cybercrime 
Tape can be stored offline and off-network, creating a physical “air gap” of protection to minimize the risk of data exposure to cyberattacks. Security for long-term storage of high-volume data has long made tape a preferred choice of major data centers and research institutes.

As the data storage tape manufacturer of computer-use magnetic tapes with the leading top global market share*⁷, Fujifilm will continue to develop and supply high-performance and high-quality media and services that satisfy customers’ growing and evolving data storage needs.

1．Product name： FUJIFILM LTO Ultrium 9 Data Cartridge

2．Release date: September 7, 2021

3.   Main features of FUJIFILM LTO Ultrium 9: 

• Unique BaFe magnetic particles achieve the maximum compressed storage capacity of 45TB
  The new LTO-9 features BaFe magnetic particles, formulated into fine particles with Fujifilm’s advanced NANOCUBIC technology, evenly distributed to coat tape surfaces, forming a smooth and thin magnetic layer with minimum variations. The data recording density has also been improved to record 8,960 data tracks in 12.65mm-wide tape to achieve the storage capacity of up to 45TB (18TB for non-compressed data), 1.5 times the capacity of the current LTO-8 generation.
   
• Advanced level of convenience and reliability
  • LTO-9 allows for high-speed data transfer at up to 1,000MB/sec. (400MB/sec. for non-compressed data) for exceptional efficiency.
  • It provides high-quality replay signals with low bit error rate (BER). In addition, the material design has been optimized for highly-accurate tracking performance and excellent operational durability for the magnetic heads in the tape drives, boosting reliability and stability in reading and writing data.
     
• Safe long-term storage capability at low cost for energy-saving data storage
  • LTO-9 has superior TCO^*8 to HDD and cloud, capable of holding a large amount of cold data at low cost.
  • To ensure the safety of valuable data, tape offers "air gap" data protection, physically isolated from the network, thereby minimizing the risk of data damage or loss caused by system failures, exposure to computer viruses and cyberattacks.
  • An accelerated life test^*9 has indicated that magnetic tape using BaFe magnetic particles maintains stable magnetic characteristics for over 50 years.
  • LTO-9 can store data with lower power consumption than HDD, contributing to reducing the environmental impact of data storage.

4．Main specifications:

• Maximum capacity	45TB compressed (18TB native)
  Maximum transfer rate	1,000MB/sec. compressed (400MB/sec. native)
  Number of tracks	8,960 (32 track heads in the serpentine format)
  Cartridge memory	Internal EEPROM with 32kB electromagnetic induction antenna
  Tape width	12.65 mm
  Tape thickness	5.2 μm
  Tape length per cartridge	1,035 m

  
   

About Fujifilm

FUJIFILM Recording Media U.S.A., Inc. is FUJIFILM Corporation’s U.S.-based manufacturing, marketing and sales operation for data tape media and data management solutions. The company provides data center customers and enterprise industry partners with a wide range of innovative recording media products and archival solutions. Based on a history of thin-film engineering and magnetic particle science such as Fujifilm’s NANOCUBIC™ and Barium Ferrite technology, Fujifilm creates breakthrough data storage products. Worldwide, Fujifilm and its affiliates have surpassed the 170 million milestone for the number of LTO ULTRIUM data cartridges manufactured and sold since introduction, establishing the company as the leading global manufacturer of mid-range and enterprise data tape. 

For more information on FUJIFILM Recording Media products, call 800-488-3854 or go to https://www.fujifilm.com/us/en/business/data-storage. For more information about FUJIFILM Object Archive software, visit http://fujifilmobjectarchive.com.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, brings cutting edge solutions to a broad range of global industries by leveraging its depth of knowledge and fundamental technologies developed in its relentless pursuit of innovation. Its proprietary core technologies contribute to the various fields including healthcare, highly functional materials, document solutions and imaging products. These products and services are based on its extensive portfolio of chemical, mechanical, optical, electronic and imaging technologies. For the year ended March 31, 2021, the company had global revenues of $21 billion, at an exchange rate of 106 yen to the dollar. The Fujifilm global family of companies is committed to responsible environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit: www.fujifilmholdings.com

*1 Source: Brad Johns Consulting, LLC “Improving Information Technology Sustainability with Modern Tape Storage”
*2 Linear Tape-Open, LTO, the LTO logo, Ultrium and the Ultrium logo are the registered trademarks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Quantum in the United States and other countries.
*3 FUJIFILM LTO Ultrium 8 Data Cartridge that complies with the eighth generation LTO Ultrium standards
*4 When saving 100PB (petabytes) of data for ten years, storing it on magnetic tape generates 95% less CO2 emissions (approx. 2,400 tons) during the storage than doing so on HDD. (Source: Brad Johns Consulting, LLC “Improving Information Technology Sustainability with Modern Tape Storage”)
*5 Fujifilm's nanotechnology-based magnetic tape technology with thin coating to achieve high-density magnetic data recording. It consists of the “nano-particle technology” for formulating magnetic particles into nano-sized particles, “nano-dispersion technology” for evenly dispersing and arranging nano-sized magnetic particles, and “nano-coating technology” for achieving the coating of the ultra-thin layer.
*6 Drive dependent
*7 Manufacturer share, according to Fujifilm
*8 Total Cost of Ownership, which encompasses all costs associated with the operation introduction of a storage drive, library, etc., including initial cost, cost of maintenance and cost of electricity consumed.
*9 According to the Tape Storage Technical Committee of JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association)