Combining these technologies, we were able to read and write data in our laboratory system at a linear density of 818K bits per inch. (For historical reasons, tape engineers around the world measure data density in inches.) In combination with the 246200 tracks per inch that the new technology can handle, our prototype unit achieved an areal density of 201 gigabits per square inch. Assuming that one cartridge can hold 1140 meters of tape—a reasonable assumption, based on the reduced thickness of the new tape media we used—this areal density corresponds to a cartridge capacity of a whopping 330 TB. That means that a single tape cartridge could record as much data as a wheelbarrow full of hard drives.

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