Bits to EB converter

What is a bit?

A bit (short for binary digit) is the smallest unit of data in computing and digital communications. It represents a single binary value: either 0 or 1. Bits form the foundation of all digital systems, from simple text files to complex video streams. For example, the letter “A” in ASCII encoding is represented by 8 bits (01000001).

Historical insight

The term “bit” was coined by statistician John Tukey in 1947. Its adoption revolutionized how we quantify and process information in the digital age.

What is an exabyte (EB)?

An exabyte (EB) is a unit of digital storage equal to:

• 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes (10¹⁸ bytes) in the SI (decimal) system.
• 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 bytes (2⁶⁰ bytes) in the IEC (binary) system, where it is called an exbibyte (EiB).

To put this into perspective:

• 1 EB can store approximately 50,000 years of HD video.
• Global internet traffic is projected to reach 1.5 EB per day by 2025.

Understanding data measurement systems

1. SI (Decimal) system

The International System of Units (SI) uses base-10 multipliers:

• Kilobyte (kB): 10³ bytes
• Megabyte (MB): 10⁶ bytes
• Gigabyte (GB): 10⁹ bytes
• Terabyte (TB): 10¹² bytes
• Petabyte (PB): 10¹⁵ bytes
• Exabyte (EB): 10¹⁸ bytes

This system is commonly used in networking, storage devices, and consumer electronics.

2. IEC (Binary) system

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard uses base-2 multipliers:

• Kibibyte (KiB): 2¹⁰ bytes
• Mebibyte (MiB): 2²⁰ bytes
• Gibibyte (GiB): 2³⁰ bytes
• Tebibyte (TiB): 2⁴⁰ bytes
• Pebibyte (PiB): 2⁵⁰ bytes
• Exbibyte (EiB): 2⁶⁰ bytes

This system aligns with how computers process data but is often conflated with SI units, leading to confusion.

Formula

Converting bits to exabytes or exbibytes involves two steps:

1. Convert bits to bytes: $$\text{Bytes} = \frac{\text{Bits}}{8}$$
2. Convert bytes to exabytes (SI) or exbibytes (IEC):
   • SI (EB):
   $$\text{EB} = \frac{\text{Bytes}}{10^{18}}$$
   • IEC (EiB):
   $$\text{EiB} = \frac{\text{Bytes}}{2^{60}}$$

Examples

Example 1: Converting 1,000,000,000 bits to EB and EiB

1. Bits to Bytes: $$\frac{1,000,000,000 \text{ bits}}{8} = 125,000,000 \text{ bytes}$$
2. Bytes to EB (SI): $$\frac{125,000,000}{10^{18}} = 1.25 \times 10^{-10} \text{ EB}$$
3. Bytes to EiB (IEC): $$\frac{125,000,000}{2^{60}} \approx 1.0842 \times 10^{-10} \text{ EiB}$$

Example 2: Real-world application

A data center stores 5 quadrillion bits (5 × 10¹⁵ bits). How much is this in EB and EiB?

1. Bits to Bytes: $$\frac{5 \times 10^{15}}{8} = 6.25 \times 10^{14} \text{ bytes}$$
2. Bytes to EB (SI): $$\frac{6.25 \times 10^{14}}{10^{18}} = 0.000625 \text{ EB}$$
3. Bytes to EiB (IEC): $$\frac{6.25 \times 10^{14}}{2^{60}} \approx 0.000542 \text{ EiB}$$

Notes

• Confusion Alert: Exabytes (EB) and exbibytes (EiB) are often used interchangeably, but their values differ by ~15%.
• Precision: Use binary units (EiB) for RAM or file systems and decimal units (EB) for storage devices.
• Check Context: Always verify whether a value follows SI or IEC standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert 10 exabytes to bits?

1. EB to Bytes: $$10 \text{ EB} \times 10^{18} = 10^{19} \text{ bytes}$$
2. Bytes to Bits: $$10^{19} \text{ bytes} \times 8 = 8 \times 10^{19} \text{ bits}$$

Why are there two different systems (SI vs. IEC)?

Early computer scientists used base-2 for simplicity, but SI units became popular for marketing (e.g., labeling hard drives). The IEC standardized binary prefixes in 1998 to resolve ambiguity.

How many EiB are in 1 EB?

Can I use this calculator for network bandwidth?

Yes! Bandwidth is often measured in bits per second (bps), while storage uses bytes. Convert bits to bytes by dividing by 8.

What is the largest unit of data storage?

As of 2024, the largest standardized units are:

• SI: Yottabyte (YB) = 10²⁴ bytes
• IEC: Yobibyte (YiB) = 2⁸⁰ bytes