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What are exabytes and exbibytes?

Exabytes (EB) and exbibytes (EiB) are units for measuring massive amounts of digital data. An exabyte is part of the SI (International System of Units) decimal system where 1 EB equals 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes ($10^{18}$ bytes). In contrast, an exbibyte belongs to the binary system defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), where 1 EiB equals 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 bytes ($2^{60}$ bytes). These units represent storage capacities far beyond everyday experience - for perspective, all words ever spoken by humans are estimated at about 5 EB.

Understanding data measurement systems

Digital storage uses two distinct measurement systems:

  1. SI system (decimal, base-10)

    • Used by storage manufacturers and in networking contexts
    • Prefixes increase by 1,000-fold: kilo ($10^{3}$), mega ($10^{6}$), giga ($10^{9}$), tera ($10^{12}$), peta ($10^{15}$), exa ($10^{18}$)
    • Units: bytes (B), kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), terabytes (TB), petabytes (PB), exabytes (EB)

  2. IEC system (binary, base-2)

    • Used by operating systems and software to report storage
    • Prefixes increase by 1,024-fold ($2^{10}$): kibi ($2^{10}$), mebi ($2^{20}$), gibi ($2^{30}$), tebi ($2^{40}$), pebi ($2^{50}$), exbi ($2^{60}$)
    • Units: kibibytes (KiB), mebibytes (MiB), gibibytes (GiB), tebibytes (TiB), pebibytes (PiB), exbibytes (EiB)

The discrepancy arises because computers process data in binary, while the metric system is decimal-based. This dual-system approach maintains precision in technical contexts while aligning with international standards.

Conversion formulas

Converting between these units requires understanding both systems and their relationship to bits (the fundamental binary digit). Since 1 byte = 8 bits:

  • Exabytes to bits (SI system)

    bits=EB×(1018)×8\text{bits} = \text{EB} \times (10^{18}) \times 8

  • Exbibytes to bits (IEC system)

    bits=EiB×(260)×8\text{bits} = \text{EiB} \times (2^{60}) \times 8

For conversions between EB and EiB:

1 EB=1018260 EiB≈0.8673617379884 EiB1\ \text{EB} = \frac{10^{18}}{2^{60}}\ \text{EiB} \approx 0.8673617379884\ \text{EiB} 1 EiB=2601018 EB≈1.152921504606846976 EB1\ \text{EiB} = \frac{2^{60}}{10^{18}}\ \text{EB} \approx 1.152921504606846976\ \text{EB}

Practical examples

Example 1: Global internet traffic
In 2023, global internet traffic reached approximately 4.8 EB per day. How many bits is this?

Using SI conversion:

4.8 EB×1018 bytes/EB×8 bits/byte=3.84×1019 bits4.8\ \text{EB} \times 10^{18}\ \text{bytes/EB} \times 8\ \text{bits/byte} = 3.84 \times 10^{19}\ \text{bits}

Example 2: Large-scale storage system
A data center stores 5.5 EiB of video archives. Convert to bits:

Using IEC conversion:

5.5 EiB×260 bytes/EiB×8 bits/byte=5.5×9,223,372,036,854,775,808×85.5\ \text{EiB} \times 2^{60}\ \text{bytes/EiB} \times 8\ \text{bits/byte} = 5.5 \times 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 \times 8

First calculate bytes:

5.5×9.223372036854775808×1018=5.0728546202701266944×1019 bytes5.5 \times 9.223372036854775808 \times 10^{18} = 5.0728546202701266944 \times 10^{19}\ \text{bytes}

Then convert to bits:

5.0728546202701266944×1019×8=4.05828369621610135552×1020 bits5.0728546202701266944 \times 10^{19} \times 8 = 4.05828369621610135552 \times 10^{20}\ \text{bits}

Example 3: Comparing systems
Convert 2 EB to both EiB and bits:

  • To EiB:
2 EB×1018260≈1.7347234759768 EiB2\ \text{EB} \times \frac{10^{18}}{2^{60}} \approx 1.7347234759768\ \text{EiB}
  • To bits (SI):
2×1018×8=1.6×1019 bits2 \times 10^{18} \times 8 = 1.6 \times 10^{19}\ \text{bits}
  • Same value in bits (via EiB):
1.7347234759768×260×8≈1.6×1019 bits1.7347234759768 \times 2^{60} \times 8 \approx 1.6 \times 10^{19}\ \text{bits}

The historical context of data measurement

Early computing adopted metric prefixes for binary quantities - a “kilobyte” meant 1,024 bytes rather than 1,000. This discrepancy grew problematic as storage capacities increased. In 1998, the IEC introduced binary prefixes (kibi, mebi, gibi, etc.) to resolve this ambiguity. This standard (IEC 80000-13) formally separated binary and decimal measurements, though industry adoption remains mixed. Storage manufacturers typically use decimal units (making capacities appear larger), while operating systems use binary units for accuracy.

Real-world applications of exascale units

  • Cloud storage: Major providers like AWS and Google Cloud now offer exabyte-scale storage solutions
  • Global data: Total global data is projected to reach 175 ZB (175,000 EB) by 2025
  • Video streaming: Netflix’s entire catalog is estimated at around 3.14 EB of storage

Important considerations

  1. Always verify which measurement system (SI or IEC) your source material uses.
  2. Storage capacity vs. data transmission: Network speeds use bits per second (bps), while storage uses bytes.
  3. Precision matters: The 7.3% difference between EB and EiB becomes substantial at exascale.
  4. When comparing storage devices, check whether capacity is listed in decimal (manufacturer) or binary (OS) units.
  5. Future-proofing: Beyond exabytes come zettabytes (ZB) and yottabytes (YB) in the SI system.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert 3 exbibytes to bits?

To convert 3 EiB to bits:

  1. Multiply by $2^{60}$ to get bytes:
3×1,152,921,504,606,846,976=3,458,764,513,820,540,928 bytes3 \times 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 = 3,458,764,513,820,540,928\ \text{bytes}
  1. Multiply by 8 to get bits:
3,458,764,513,820,540,928×8=27,670,116,110,564,327,424 bits3,458,764,513,820,540,928 \times 8 = 27,670,116,110,564,327,424\ \text{bits}

Using the formula:

3 EiB×260×8=3×9,223,372,036,854,775,808×8=27,670,116,110,564,327,424 bits3\ \text{EiB} \times 2^{60} \times 8 = 3 \times 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 \times 8 = 27,670,116,110,564,327,424\ \text{bits}

Why is there a difference between EB and EiB?

The difference stems from using base-10 (decimal) versus base-2 (binary) calculations. Computers natively process data in binary (powers of 2), while the metric system uses powers of 10. This results in an approximately 7.3% difference between EB and EiB that compounds with scale.

Which system should I use for technical calculations?

For hardware specifications and storage capacity, use SI (EB). For memory allocation, file systems, and operating system-level calculations, use IEC (EiB). Always specify which unit system you’re using to prevent misinterpretation.

How many bits are in 1 exabyte?

Using the SI system:
1 EB = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes ($10^{18}$ bytes)
Since 1 byte = 8 bits:
1 EB = $10^{18} \times 8 = 8,000,000,000,000,000,000\ \text{bits}$ ($8 \times 10^{18}$ bits)

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