Cassette tapes may have the stigma of small outdated music collections, but a recent magnetic innovation may have just brought them back into mainstream data storage. The relationship between magnets and cassette tapes may not be immediately apparent, but it is actually magnetic tape that serves as the foundation for its data storage.

Modern-Day Magnetic Tape

Modern technologies and innovations like cloud storage have since replaced cassettes and other storage devices that use magnetic tape, however some techies and businesses may start to use them once again after this finding. The main reason is that although the cloud storage and hard disk devices are convenient, the data storage capabilities of this tape exceed 185 terabytes - that is 74 times the amount available on standard tapes.

This bandwidth of magnetic tape has been expanded because of a tiny change in its development process, called sputter deposition. The newer magnetic tape process, backed by Sony, forms uniform nanosized magnetic particles on the tape which also has a magnetic underlayer. The smaller sized controllable particles are key to the magnetic tape’s record-setting storage capabilities.

This new magnetic tape may hold great possibilities for the tech industry, but we probably won’t be seeing it in the slot of new car stereos. Because the tape is magnetic, it is also important not to put a magnet near it. If you are unfortunate enough to, a strong magnet could distort or completely erase the data on the tape. Can you think of some of the possibilities that could stem from this latest magnetic innovation?