SONY DEBUTS S-AIT TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
Leading Drive, Tape Library and Media Manufacturers Support High Capacity Format Designed to Meet Intense Enterprise Class Storage Needs
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 2, 2001 — Sony Corporation today announced the development of the S-AIT format, a new tape-based data storage technology platform that will enable up to 500GB of native capacity to be stored on a single-reel, half-inch tape cartridge by the end of 2002.
The S-AIT drive will leverage Sony's scalable and reliable AIT architecture in a 5.25-inch extended drive form-factor. It is expected to deliver the industry's highest capacity tape drive, storing up to 500GB of uncompressed data on a single tape cartridge and featuring a sustained native transfer rate of up to 30MB per second uncompressed.
Matsushita Kotobuki Electronics Industries, Ltd. (MKE) and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (MEI), known for Panasonic-brand products, will provide the market with alternative manufacturing sources for S-AIT drives and media, respectively. In addition, leading tape library manufacturers, such as ADIC, Qualstar and Spectra Logic have expressed their intention to support the integration of S-AIT drives and media into half-inch tape automation solutions. Several of these companies are expected to join an S-AIT Alliance under the established AIT Forum to promote the adoption and integration of S-AIT into a wide range of storage solutions.
Based on advanced helical-scan recording technology, which is known for its high data density, outstanding data transfer performance, as well as reliability and durability advantages, the S-AIT technology platform has a forward-looking roadmap with the potential to scale to up to four terabytes of uncompressed capacity in a single cartridge.
The first generation S-AIT drives incorporated into automation solutions will provide uncompressed capacities ranging from four terabytes in a 2U rack-mountable configuration to more than 500TB in a 1,000 cartridge freestanding library.
"The explosive growth of digital content together with more data being generated electronically by businesses of all sizes, has led to a tremendous increase in demands for storage. The S-AIT technology is being launched to meet these needs in a very scalable and cost-effective way," said Steve Baker, vice president of marketing for the tape storage solutions division of Sony Electronics' Core Technology Solutions Company. "S-AIT marks a significant paradigm shift for tape storage technology by delivering up to five times the capacity of conventional tape formats in the market today."
"Advanced Metal Evaporated tape continues to be one of the key enabling technologies for a wide range of industry-accepted tape storage and recording applications, including Sony's innovative AIT format. Ongoing AME technology development has reached new levels with the introduction of the S-AIT format," said Tom Evans, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics' Media Applications Solutions division. "Its extraordinary magnetic properties, storage density and durability are key to tape applications in high-duty-cycle enterprise storage."
The First S-AIT Implementation Incorporates the Following Key Features and Innovations:
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500GB Native, 1.3TB Compressed (2.6:1)
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30MB/sec Native, 78MB/sec Compressed (2.6:1)
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SCSI Ultra 160 / Fibre Channel
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5.25-inch Full Height (Extended)
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600m AME, half-inch width tape, 1 reel cartridge, R-MIC
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Helical Scan Recording Technology - Helical scan recording technologies, based on a very stable rotating drum/head platform, permit accurate and reliable data recording at very high track densities. This efficient packing density, typically up to five times greater than most linear serpentine recording technologies, provides industry leading space-efficient solutions.
Advanced Metal Evaporated (AME) tape - S-AIT media will be based on AME technology, which represents a culmination of over 50 years of Sony innovation and experience in magnetic tape technology. The AME tape formulation, with diamond-like carbon coating, offers extraordinary durability and reliability, up to 30,000 media passes and up to 30 years expected media archival life.
Head Technology - HyperMetal, Super Laminate Head Technology will provide S-AIT drives with higher signal output than conventional heads, thereby promoting a higher level of data integrity. Based on announced Sony R&D results, future S-AIT products may utilize MR and GMR head technology to achieve capacities of up to 4TB per cartridge.
Remote Memory in Cassette (R-MIC) - The non-volatile R-MIC chip built into the data cartridge provides quick media loads and allows fast searches to data. The R-MIC chip contains the tape's system log, search map and user-definable information, allowing the drive to advance at high speed directly to any file on the tape.
Reliability - The reliability of S-AIT drive systems will result, in part, from innovative features, such as; automatic head cleaning system and an effective "leader block" tape threading system with a simplified tape load path. The drive cooling system is isolated from the tape mechanism thereby limiting airborne contaminants from entering the tape path and affecting sensitive components.
S-AIT drives are expected to be available late next year at a list price of under $10,000.
"As digital content continues to expand unabated and needs to be stored and managed, the S-AIT format offers a compelling combination of capacity and performance for the automation market."
International Data Corporation
"S-AIT tape technology demonstrates the extensibility of AIT technology. The S-AIT tape drive with 500 GB of capacity on a single cartridge will allow tape to continue to meet the ever increasing data storage needs."
- Bob Amatruda, Research Manager, Tape and Removable Storage
"As disk capacities continue to grow with the explosion of digital content and mission-critical data warehouses, the tape storage segment has a bigger opportunity to close the gap between disk and tape roadmaps. For a tape product to be successful, capacity, performance and automation support are key."
- Fara Yale, Chief Analyst
Matsushita Kotobuki Electronics Industries, Ltd. (MKE)
"It is only high-density helical-scan recording together with Matsushita and Sony's world-class helical-scan technology leadership that makes S-AIT products feasible."
- Takao Kanamura, Senior Managing Director
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (MEI)
"We are delighted to support the S-AIT format with our AME media. With its inherent advantages of durability and high output performance, AME combined with helical-scan recording technology enables a new generation of high capacity tape storage."
- Hiroshi Yokomizo, director of AVC Media Business Unit
Advanced Digital Information Corporation (ADIC)
"The exploding storage needs of our customers are driving them to demand new and better data storage solutions. We look forward to working with Sony to integrate the new S-AIT technology into the ADIC family of intelligent, storage network enabled automated libraries."
- Bill Britts, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
"The S-AIT technology platform offers a very compelling combination of capacity and performance, and Qualstar looks forward to delivering enterprise-class automation solutions based on S-AIT to meet the continuous storage demands of our customers."
- Bob Covey, Vice President of Marketing
Spectra Logic Corporation
"As a natural extension of its tape technology expertise, Spectra Logic congratulates Sony's initiative to develop S-AIT technology and expand its already impressive and proven roadmap."
- Bill Reed, Vice President of Marketing & Business Development
Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications and Information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be a leading personal broadband entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of nearly $60 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001. For additional information about Sony storage products in the U.S., call (800) 352-7669 or visit Sony's World Wide Web site at http://www.sony.com/news or http://www.storagebysony.com.
