PB to Pbit converter

What is a petabyte and a petabit?

A petabyte (PB) and a petabit (Pbit) are units of digital information storage and transmission.

• Petabyte (PB):
  • In the SI (International System of Units) decimal system, 1 PB equals $10^{15}$ bytes (1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes).
  • In the binary system (IEC standard), 1 pebibyte (PiB) equals $2^{50}$ bytes (1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes).
• Petabit (Pbit):
  • In the SI system, 1 Pbit equals $10^{15}$ bits (1,000,000,000,000,000 bits).
  • In the binary system, 1 pebibit (Pibit) equals $2^{50}$ bits (1,125,899,906,842,624 bits).

The key difference lies in their base systems: SI uses base-10 (powers of 10), while the binary system uses base-2 (powers of 2).

Understanding SI and binary systems

SI (decimal) system

• Used by storage manufacturers, telecommunications, and most consumer-facing products.
• Units include PB (petabyte) and Pbit (petabit).
• Prefixes like kilo-, mega-, giga-, and tera- follow powers of 10.

Binary (IEC) system

• Used in computing contexts like operating systems and software.
• Units include PiB (pebibyte) and Pibit (pebibit).
• Prefixes like kibi-, mebi-, gibi-, and tebi- follow powers of 2.

Why two systems?

• SI system: Aligns with metric conventions for simplicity.
• Binary system: Reflects how computers process data (binary logic).

Conversion formulas

SI system conversions

1. Petabytes (PB) to petabits (Pbit):

Explanation: 1 byte = 8 bits.

2. Petabits (Pbit) to petabytes (PB):

Binary (IEC) system conversions

1. Pebibytes (PiB) to pebibits (Pibit):

2. Pebibits (Pibit) to pebibytes (PiB):

Cross-system approximations

To convert between SI and binary units:

Step-by-step conversion examples

Example 1: Converting 5 PB to petabits (SI)

Result: 5 petabytes equal 40 petabits.

Example 2: Converting 3.5 PiB to pebibits (binary)

Result: 3.5 pebibytes equal 28 pebibits.

Example 3: Converting 10 Pbit to petabytes (SI)

Result: 10 petabits equal 1.25 petabytes.

Common use cases for PB and Pbit conversions

1. Cloud storage: Providers like AWS or Google Cloud list storage in PB, while network bandwidth is often in Pbit.
2. Data centers: Estimating total storage capacity (PB) versus data transfer rates (Pbit/s).
3. Video streaming: A 4K video streaming platform storing 100 PB of content requires 800 Pbit for transmission.

Historical context of data measurement units

• The SI system dates back to the 1960s, standardizing metric prefixes.
• The binary system was formalized in 1998 by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to resolve confusion between decimal and binary interpretations.
• Before IEC standards, terms like “petabyte” were ambiguous, leading to discrepancies in technical documentation.

Notes on data measurement standards

• Always verify whether a value uses SI (base-10) or binary (base-2) units.
• Operating systems like Windows often report storage in binary units (PiB), while hard drives are marketed in decimal units (PB).
• Misinterpreting units can lead to significant errors. For example, 1 PB (SI) is ~12% smaller than 1 PiB (binary).

Frequently asked questions

How to convert 2.5 PB to petabits?

Using the SI system formula:

Answer: 2.5 petabytes equal 20 petabits.

What is the difference between a petabyte and a pebibyte?

A petabyte (PB) uses $10^{15}$ bytes (decimal), while a pebibyte (PiB) uses $2^{50}$ bytes (binary). The latter is ~12.59% larger.

Why do network speeds use bits instead of bytes?

Network equipment measures data transmission at the bit level. Since 1 byte = 8 bits, using bits simplifies calculations for engineers.

Can I use this converter for smaller units like terabytes?

Yes! The same principles apply. For example, 1 terabyte (TB) = 8 terabits (Tbit) in the SI system.

How much is 1 PiB in petabits?

First, convert PiB to pebibits (Pibit):

Then, approximate to SI units:

Answer: ~9.007 petabits.