Advanced Intelligent Tape

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Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT) is a high speed, high capacity computer storage magnetic tape format developed and controlled by Sony. It competes mainly against the DLT, LTO, DAT/DDS, and VXA formats. AIT uses a cassette similar to Video8. SAIT (Super AIT) is a higher capacity variant using wider tape in a larger, single-spool cartridge. Both AIT and SAIT use a helical scan method of reading and writing the tape.

Contents 1 Form Factors 2 Compatibility 3 Generations 3.1 AIT-1 3.2 AIT-2 3.3 AIT-3 3.4 AIT-4 3.5 AIT-5 3.6 AIT-6 3.7 SAIT-1 3.8 SAIT-2 3.9 Notes 4 Technical Features 4.1 AME 4.2 MIC 4.3 R-MIC 4.4 WORM 5 External links

[edit] Form Factors

AIT technology is now available in two form factors.

• AIT - 8 mm, dual reel cartridge, similar to Sony's 8 mm videotape products and Exabyte's 8 mm data tape products.
• SAIT - 1/2", single reel cartridge, similar to DLT and LTO.

As of 2006, AIT is widely used for computer backups, but its popularity is waning.

[edit] Compatibility

On of the most compelling features of the AIT format is that many generations are both backwards and forwards compatible. This allows multiple generations of tape drives to both read and write to multiple generations of tape media.

[edit] Generations

Generation	AIT-E Turbo	AIT-1	AIT-1 Turbo	AIT-2	AIT-2 Turbo
Release Date	2004	1996	2004	1999
Native Capacity (GB)	20	25, 35	40	36, 50	80
Max Speed (MB/s)	6	3, 4	6	6	12
Tape Length m		170, 230		170, 230
Tape Thickness

[edit] AIT-1

• Original specification's data capacity is 25 GB, with a data transfer speed of 3 MB/s.
• Extended length tape, introduced in 1999 gave additional capacity, 35 GB.
• Speed increased to 4 MB/s in 2001.
• Turbo variant, introduced in 2004, is 50% faster (6 MB/s) and holds 40 GB.
• A budget version, AIT-E Turbo, was also introduced in 2004 to compete with DDS.
• SATA version of AIT-1 Turbo available in 2006.

[edit] AIT-2

• Doubled capacity and transfer speed
• WORM technology introduced
• Turbo variant is 50% higher capacity, 100% faster (same speed as AIT-3)
• Turbo variant introduced R-MIC technology
• SATA version of AIT-2 Turbo available in 2006.

Generation	AIT-3	AIT-3Ex	AIT-4	AIT-5	AIT-6
Release Date	2001	2006	2005	2006	TBA
Native Capacity (GB)	100	150	200	400	800
Max Speed (MB/s)	12	18	24	24
Tape Length m	230		246	246
Tape Thickness
WORM Capable	YES	YES	YES	YES	Expected

[edit] AIT-3

• Doubled capacity and transfer speed
• Ex variant is 50% higher capacity, 50% faster

[edit] AIT-4

• Doubled capacity and transfer speed
• New tape formulation, AME-2
• Not compatible with previous generations

[edit] AIT-5

• Available September 27, 2006 [1]
• Announced July 2006, hardware and media expected "in the fall."
• Doubled capacity, maintained transfer speed.
• Backwards compatible with AIT-3, AIT-3Ex, AIT-4
• New tape formulation, AME-3

[edit] AIT-6

• Not Released Yet

Generation	SAIT-1	SAIT-2	SAIT-3	SAIT-4
Release Date	2003	TBA	TBA	TBA
Native Capacity (GB)	500	1000	2000	4000
Max Speed (MB/s)	30	60	120	240
Tape Length	600 m
Tape Thickness

[edit] SAIT-1

• Highest capacity tape cartridge from 2003 to 2006. Displaced by DLT-S4 (800 GB).

[edit] SAIT-2

• Not Released Yet

[edit] Notes

• Data Capacity and Speed figures above are for UNCOMPRESSED data. Sony assumes a 2x or 2.6x compression factor in their marketing material.
• According to SONY, "All future products are based on technology projections."

[edit] Technical Features

[edit] AME

Advance Metal Evaporated is a different formulation of tape media.

[edit] MIC

Memory in Cassette Memory chip in the cartridge that keeps relevant information about the tape.

[edit] R-MIC

Remote - Memory in Cassette Like MIC except it doesn't require physical contact.

[edit] WORM

Write Once Read Many functionality, useful for archive keeping.

[edit] External links

• AIT Technology Forum
• AIT Roadmap
• SAIT-1 comparison
• ECMA 246 Specification of AIT-1. [2]
• ECMA 291 Specification of AIT-1 w/ MIC. [3]
• ECMA 292 Specification of AIT-2 w/ MIC. [4]
• ECMA 329 Specification of AIT-3. [5]

view • talk • edit	Magnetic tape data storage formats
	Linear	Helical-Scan
Three Quarter Inch (~19 mm)	LINCtape (1962) - DECtape (1963)	Sony DIR (19xx) - Ampex DST (1992)
Half Inch (12.65 mm)	UNISERVO (1951) - IBM 7 Track (1952) - IBM 9 Track (1964) - IBM 3480 (1984) - DLT (1984) - IBM 3590 (1995) - T9840 (1998) - T9940 (2000) - LTO Ultrium (2000) - T10000 (2006)	Redwood SD-3 (1995) - DTF (19xx) - SAIT (2003)
Eight Millimeter (8 mm)	Travan (1995) - IBM 3570 MP (1997)	Exabyte (1987) - Mammoth (1994) - AIT (1996) - VXA (1999)
Quarter Inch (6.35 mm)	QIC (1972) - SLR (1986)
Four Millimeter (3.8 mm)	DC100 (1976) - DECtapeII (1979)	DDS/DAT (1989)
One Eighth Inch (3.18 mm)	KC Standard, Compact Cassette (1975) - Datassette (1977)
Stringy (1.58 - 1.9 mm)	Exatron Stringy Floppy (1979) - ZX Microdrive (1983) - Rotronics Wafadrive (1984)