IT·Science News
Fujifilm to make five times more data tape: AI gives an old storage format a new job
Fujifilm plans to boost its magnetic tape production fivefold as artificial intelligence fuels demand for data archiving, Ars Technica reports, arguing that low costs and offline security mean tape still has a job to do.
UK storage news site Blocks & Files, citing a Nikkei Asia report, gives the numbers. Fujifilm will spend ¥10 billion (about $63 million) so that its fiscal 2028 output of LTO tape is five times its 2025 level, at its plant in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. LTO tape shipments rose 57% in the first three months of 2026, helped by the new LTO-10 generation. The site says demand is growing to archive more data, including AI training data that is too costly to keep on disk, and that tape is the only feasible option at such a low cost per terabyte.
How each outlet framed it
- Ars Technica — the surprise: an old storage format finding new demand in the AI era, thanks to price and security.
- Blocks & Files — the industry view: a capacity plan backed by real shipment growth, and a sign that Fujifilm sees a long-term trend.
Where the numbers come from: the ¥10 billion figure and the fivefold target come from Nikkei Asia’s report, which is paywalled; Blocks & Files passes them on.
What we don't know yet: how much of the new demand comes from AI companies rather than other archives; neither report breaks it down.