AI data boom fuels tape storage resurgence
The combination of low operating costs, high capacity, and offline protection makes tape storage well suited to the massive storage requirements of AI workloads. Companies behind the Linear Tape-Open (LTO) storage standard say the industry shipped 160.3 exabytes of compressed tape capacity in 2025, making it the second-largest year on record despite a 9% decline from the 176.5 exabytes shipped …