After years of development and anticipation, the Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Consortium has officially launched LTO-10, the tenth generation of the industry's most widely adopted tape storage format. The latest generation as of 2025, LTO-10, can hold 30 TB in one cartridge, or 75 TB with industry-standard 2.5:1 compression.

The launch represents a significant milestone in data storage technology, arriving exactly 25 years after the original LTO-1 format debuted in 2000 with just 100GB of capacity. From LTO-1 in the year 2000 to LTO-10 in 2025, the format has delivered a 300-fold increase in capacity per cartridge.

In a departure from previous generations, LTO-10 can't read or write LTO-9 media. Unlike previous generations that maintained at least one generation of backward compatibility, LTO-10 breaks that tradition entirely. This strategic decision by the LTO Consortium - comprised of IBM, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Quantum Corporation - enabled the dramatic capacity improvements.

LTO-10 now offers 30TB of native capacity, finally catching up with (and arguably surpassing) hard drives considering that 30TB HDDs are still rare in the mainstream and mostly reserved for hyperscalers. The technology maintains the familiar 400 MB/s transfer speed but introduces enhanced connectivity options, including support for 32Gb Fibre Channel connections.

Beyond raw capacity gains, LTO-10 introduces several operational enhancements that address long-standing user pain points. LTO-10 tapes need no calibration. For anyone managing tapes at scale, that's a big operational efficiency improvement over LTO-9, which required time-consuming media optimization procedures that could delay initial use by up to two hours.

The new format also supports active optical connectivity, extending cable distances from 10 to 100 meters and providing greater deployment flexibility for enterprise data centres managing large-scale tape libraries.

Industry Response and Market Impact

Major storage vendors have quickly embraced the new standard. Tape library manufacturers Symply and Quantum have also announced LTO-10 support, with comprehensive integration across their product portfolios. Quantum Corporation announced that its new Scalar i7 RAPTOR system can deliver up to 60 petabytes of native storage capacity in a single rack when equipped with LTO-10 drives.

"The introduction of LTO-10 marks a major leap forward in tape technology," said Fred Moore, president, Horison Information Strategies. "Its capacity, performance, and architectural improvements make it the most compelling choice for petabyte-scale, long-term data retention—especially in today's AI-driven, video-rich, and compliance-heavy environments."

The timing of LTO-10's arrival aligns with unprecedented growth in data generation driven by artificial intelligence applications, high-resolution media content, and stringent regulatory compliance requirements. Since late 2022, Artificial intelligence has experienced exponential growth, driving unprecedented increases in the amount of data created and stored.

Tape storage has experienced renewed relevance as organizations seek cost-effective, secure solutions for long-term data retention. The format's inherent air-gapped nature provides natural protection against ransomware attacks, a growing concern for enterprise IT departments managing critical data assets.

Tape remains the most energy-efficient storage medium. Moving inactive data from HDD or SSD can dramatically reduce energy consumption. Comparing HDDs to LTO 9 with 100 cartridges/drive, tape used 94% less energy per TB. LTO-10 will be even more energy efficient.

LTO-10 technology is available for immediate ordering. Initial shipments of LTO-10 drives and Certified Media will begin in June 2025. The technology will be available across multiple vendor platforms, including standalone drives and integrated library systems.

Looking ahead, the LTO roadmap projects capacities doubling with every subsequent generation. LTO-10 (up to 90 TB compressed) and LTO-11 (up to 180 TB compressed) are likely to continue LTO technology's rapid acceptance in the coming years. The current roadmap extends to LTO-14, which could potentially break the 1-petabyte barrier within the next decade.