Three advances make magnetic tape more than a memory [News]

In the age of flash memory and DNAbased data storage, magnetic tape sounds like an anachronism. But the workhorse storage technology is racing along. Scientists at IBM Research say they can now store 201 gigabits per square inch on a special "sputtered" tape made by Sony Storage Media Solutions. The palm-size cartridge, into which IBM scientists squeezed a kilometer-long ribbon of tape, could hold 330 terabytes of data, or roughly 330 million books' worth. By comparison, the largest solid-state drive, made by Seagate, is twice as big and can store 60 TB, while the largest hard disk can store only 12 TB. IBM's best commercial tape cartridge, which began shipping this year, holds 15 TB.