PB to TB converter

What is PB and TB?

Petabyte (PB) and terabyte (TB) are units of digital storage in the International System of Units (SI), which uses a base-10 system.

• 1 PB equals 1,000 TB.
• 1 TB equals 1,000 gigabytes (GB).

These units are commonly used by storage manufacturers, cloud services, and telecommunications companies. For example, a data center might advertise a storage capacity of 5 PB, which translates to 5,000 TB.

What is PiB and TiB?

Pebibyte (PiB) and tebibyte (TiB) are units defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) using a base-2 (binary) system.

• 1 PiB equals 1,024 TiB.
• 1 TiB equals 1,024 gibibytes (GiB).

These units are often used in software, operating systems, and memory specifications. For instance, a high-end server might have 2 PiB of RAM, equivalent to 2,048 TiB.

Formula for converting PB to TB and PiB to TiB

SI (base-10) system

$\text{TB} = \text{PB} \times 10^{3}$

Example: Convert 3 PB to TB: $3 \, \text{PB} \times 1,000 = 3,000 \, \text{TB}$

IEC (base-2) system

$\text{TiB} = \text{PiB} \times 2^{10}$

Example: Convert 1.5 PiB to TiB: $1.5 \, \text{PiB} \times 1,024 = 1,536 \, \text{TiB}$

Key differences between SI and IEC units

Practical examples of conversions

Example 1: Cloud storage pricing

A cloud provider offers 10 PB of storage. To calculate the equivalent in TB: $10 \, \text{PB} \times 1,000 = 10,000 \, \text{TB}$ This means the provider offers 10,000 TB of storage under the SI system.

Example 2: Enterprise server capacity

A server has 4.2 PiB of memory. Converting to TiB: $4.2 \, \text{PiB} \times 1,024 = 4,300.8 \, \text{TiB}$ This server has 4,300.8 TiB of memory under the IEC system.

Example 3: Data transfer speeds

A network transfers data at 5 TB per hour. To find the daily transfer rate in PB: $\frac{5 \, \text{TB/hour} \times 24}{1,000} = 0.12 \, \text{PB/day}$ This network handles 0.12 PB of data daily.

Historical context: Why two systems exist

The SI system (base-10) has been used for decades in general science and commerce. However, computers operate in binary (base-2), leading to discrepancies. For instance, a “1 TB” hard drive marketed using SI units contains 1 trillion bytes, but a computer using IEC units would display it as ~0.909 TiB. To resolve confusion, the IEC introduced binary prefixes (e.g., PiB, TiB) in 1998.

Notes on accurate conversions

• Storage devices: Hard drives and SSDs often use SI units (PB, TB), while operating systems display IEC units (PiB, TiB).
• Data plans: Internet providers may advertise speeds in TB, but file-sharing software might measure in TiB.
• Symbols matter: Always check if the unit is PB (SI) or PiB (IEC).

Frequently asked questions

How many TB are in a PB?

In the SI system: $1 \, \text{PB} = 1,000 \, \text{TB}$ In the IEC system (though PB is not an IEC unit): $1 \, \text{PiB} = 1,024 \, \text{TiB}$

Example: A 2 PB storage array equals 2,000 TB (SI) or ~1.819 PiB (IEC).

How to convert 10 PiB to TiB?

Use the IEC formula: $10 \, \text{PiB} \times 1,024 = 10,240 \, \text{TiB}$

Why does my 1 TB hard drive show only 931 GB?

This occurs because the drive uses SI units (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes), but your computer uses IEC units (1 TiB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes). The “missing” space is due to unit differences: $\frac{1 \, \text{TB}}{1.0995} \approx 0.909 \, \text{TiB} \, (\text{or} \, 931 \, \text{GiB})$

Are TB and TiB interchangeable?

No. 1 TB (SI) equals ~0.909 TiB (IEC). Always confirm which system is being used.

How to avoid confusion between PB and PiB?

• Check unit symbols: PB (SI) vs. PiB (IEC).
• Use conversion tools that specify the standard.
• For precise calculations, clarify the system with stakeholders.

Real-world applications

• Cloud storage: A 50 PB cloud system holds 50,000 TB (SI) or ~44.4 PiB (IEC).
• Video streaming: Streaming 100 hours of 4K video (~1 TB each) requires 100 TB or ~90.9 TiB.
• Scientific research: A genomic database of 5 PiB equals 5,120 TiB, demanding high-capacity storage solutions.