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AIT Overview
AIT Media Overview
AIT Memory-in-Cassette (MIC)
AIT Roadmap
AIT Compatibility
AIT vs. Others
AIT Solutions
AIT Specifications
AIT WORM
AIT FAQs
AIT Resources
AIT Media Overview
AIT Memory-in-Cassette (MIC)
AIT Roadmap
AIT Compatibility
AIT vs. Others
AIT Solutions
AIT Specifications
AIT WORM
AIT FAQs
AIT Resources
SAIT Overview
SAIT Media
SAIT Roadmap
SAIT Compatibility
SAIT vs. Others
SAIT Solutions
SAIT Specifications
SAIT WORM
SAIT FAQs
SAIT Resources
SAIT Media
SAIT Roadmap
SAIT Compatibility
SAIT vs. Others
SAIT Solutions
SAIT Specifications
SAIT WORM
SAIT FAQs
SAIT Resources
Upcoming Events
Press Releases
Archived Press Releases
Market Commentary
Success Stories
Forum Newsletter
Press Releases
Archived Press Releases
Market Commentary
Success Stories
Forum Newsletter
This page contains the most frequently asked questions about SAIT-1 and SAIT technology in general.
- What is SAIT technology?
- What are the capacity and transfer rate specifications for SAIT-1?
- Does Sony have a roadmap that outlines future generations of SAIT products?
- Are SAIT-1 drives and media currently in full production?
- Are SAIT-1 solutions available in the market?
- Are there SAIT-1 automated solutions?
- What are the benefits of SAIT-1 over the current generations of AIT?
- What are the benefits of SAIT-1 over existing competitive solutions?
- What does SAIT mean for Sony's AIT technology and its future roadmap?
- How does SAIT-1 achieve such a high storage density in existing drive and media form-factors?
- Do SAIT-1 products incorporate Remote Memory-In-Cassette (R-MIC) technology?
- Why did Sony choose a single-reel cartridge design for SAIT-1 media?
- Do SAIT-1 drives require new media technology?
- What does the introduction of SAIT mean for the storage industry?
- What is SAIT technology?
- What are the capacity and transfer rate specifications for SAIT-1?
- Does Sony have a roadmap that outlines future generations of SAIT products?
- Are SAIT-1 drives and media currently in full production?
- Are SAIT-1 solutions available in the market?
- Are there SAIT-1 automated solutions?
- What are the benefits of SAIT-1 over the current generations of AIT?
- What are the benefits of SAIT-1 over existing competitive solutions?
- What does SAIT mean for Sony's AIT technology and its future roadmap?
- How does SAIT-1 achieve such a high storage density in existing drive and media form-factors?
- Do SAIT-1 products incorporate Remote Memory-In-Cassette (R-MIC) technology?
- Why did Sony choose a single-reel cartridge design for SAIT-1 media?
- Do SAIT-1 drives require new media technology?
- What does the introduction of SAIT mean for the storage industry?
SAIT technology is the latest concept in high-capacity and high-performance tape data recording targeted at enterprise storage markets. SAIT technology utilizes a half-inch, single-reel cartridge and provides over twice the uncompressed capacity of the nearest half-inch tape drive. The recording technology is based upon the field-proven AIT family but scaled up into a larger drive and media form-factor.
The first generation of SAIT tape drives (SAIT-1) provides up to 1.3 terabytes (TB) of compressed capacity (500 gigabytes (GB) uncompressed) and a transfer rate of up to 78 megabytes (MB) per second compressed (30 MB/sec uncompressed).
Yes. Sony has an SAIT technology roadmap extending to four generations. The fourth generation (SAIT-4) technology is expected to deliver up to 4 TB of uncompressed capacity in a single cartridge (10.4 TB compressed). This roadmap continues Sony's commitment to try to double capacity and performance from generation to generation. The SAIT roadmap leverages existing R&D; investments in high areal density recording.
Yes. Sony began production of SAIT-1 drives in February 2003. SAIT-1 media started production in January 2003.
SAIT-1 solutions are available through Sony and its OEM partners. Check the SAIT Solutions page on www.aittape.com.
Leading library manufacturers, including Qualstar, Spectra Logic and Sony's PetaSite family, are offering high-capacity automation solutions created around the SAIT-1 format. Check the SAIT Solutions page on www.aittape.com.
SAIT-1 drives are specifically designed to offer high capacity and performance to serve enterprise-class applications while AIT solutions bridge the gap between the desktop and the enterprise. The AIT and SAIT product families serve different markets and Sony is committed to the continuation of both families.
SAIT-1 drives and media provide significantly more capacity than is possible through linear recording technologies. This is the result of much higher areal recording densities achievable with helical-scan technology. By utilizing the media length and cartridge size of half-inch linear products, SAIT-1 is able to store over twice the native capacity in the same space. Solutions utilizing SAIT will provide higher capacity points.
Sony intends to develop and support AIT through at least a sixth-generation product to fill the gap between the desktop and enterprise markets. Utilizing a common areal density, a family of four SAIT members has been identified for possible future implementation. Both technology families will co-exist in the market.
Utilizing a standard half-inch cartridge form-factor, SAIT-1 media is able to achieve much higher capacity through helical-scan recording technology. Helical-scan recording is characterized by the ability to record many more data tracks than linear, longitudinal recording. By utilizing the same amount of tape as half-inch linear products, SAIT-1 is able to store more than twice the native capacity in the same space.
SAIT-1 drives and media are equipped to support R-MIC, a chip built into the data cartridge for quick file location and simplified file management. Information from the R-MIC chip can be accessed without using mechanical connections, thereby improving long-term reliability.
A single-reel, half-inch cartridge design offered the opportunity to minimize the cost of integrating SAIT-1 products into existing automation solutions, and also provided the optimum amount of tape media for a 5.25" mechanism.
No. SAIT-1 drives utilize the demonstrated capabilities of existing Advanced Metal Evaporated (AME) tape technology contained within a half-inch media cartridge. However, the SAIT cartridge is not compatible with other half-inch media in the market.
SAIT provides a new benchmark for cost-effective tape storage and ensures the future economic viability of tape technology. Its extraordinary capacity and performance positions SAIT to effectively compete with the growth of hard disk drive capacities and meet the needs of users' expanding removable data storage requirements.
