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What are yottabytes and exabytes?

Yottabytes (YB) and exabytes (EB) are units for measuring digital data storage capacity. One yottabyte equals 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes (102410^{24} bytes), while one exabyte equals 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes (101810^{18} bytes). These units quantify data volumes in contexts like global internet traffic, scientific research datasets, and planetary-scale storage systems. For perspective:

  • 1 YB could store approximately 500 trillion hours of streaming HD video.
  • 1 EB could hold about 50,000 years’ worth of continuous HD video.

Decimal vs. binary measurement systems

Digital storage uses two distinct measurement frameworks:

  1. Decimal system (SI units)

    • Based on powers of 10 (1,000=1031,000 = 10^{3})
    • Used by storage manufacturers and telecommunications
    • Units: exabyte (EB), yottabyte (YB)

  2. Binary system (IEC units)

    • Based on powers of 2 (1,024=2101,024 = 2^{10})
    • Used by operating systems and software
    • Units: exbibyte (EiB), yobibyte (YiB)

The distinction arises because computers process data in binary, while metric prefixes follow decimal conventions. This causes discrepancies in reported storage capacities.

Conversion formulas

To convert between units while maintaining system consistency:

Within decimal system (YB ↔ EB)

EB=YB×1,000,000since1024÷1018=106\text{EB} = \text{YB} \times 1,000,000 \quad \text{since} \quad 10^{24} \div 10^{18} = 10^6 YB=EB×0.000001since10−6\text{YB} = \text{EB} \times 0.000001 \quad \text{since} \quad 10^{-6}

Within binary system (YiB ↔ EiB)

EiB=YiB×1,048,576since280÷260=220\text{EiB} = \text{YiB} \times 1,048,576 \quad \text{since} \quad 2^{80} \div 2^{60} = 2^{20} YiB=EiB×9.5367431640625×10−7since2−20\text{YiB} = \text{EiB} \times 9.5367431640625 \times 10^{-7} \quad \text{since} \quad 2^{-20}

Cross-system conversions (approximate)

1 YB≈0.826 YiB(1024280)1 \text{ YB} \approx 0.826 \text{ YiB} \quad \left( \frac{10^{24}}{2^{80}} \right) 1 EB≈0.867 EiB(1018260)1 \text{ EB} \approx 0.867 \text{ EiB} \quad \left( \frac{10^{18}}{2^{60}} \right)

Conversion reference table

FromToMultiplication factorSystem consistency
Yottabyte (YB)Exabyte (EB)1,000,000Decimal
Yobibyte (YiB)Exbibyte (EiB)1,048,576Binary
Exabyte (EB)Yottabyte (YB)0.000001Decimal
Exbibyte (EiB)Yobibyte (YiB)9.5367 × 10⁻⁷Binary
Yottabyte (YB)Exbibyte (EiB)847,033Cross-system
Yobibyte (YiB)Exabyte (EB)1,208,926Cross-system

Practical conversion examples

Example 1: Scientific data archive

A research facility stores 0.0004 YB of genomic data. To determine the equivalent in exabytes:

0.0004 YB×1,000,000=400 EB0.0004 \, \text{YB} \times 1,000,000 = 400 \, \text{EB}

This equals approximately 330 EiB when converted to binary units.

Example 2: Cloud storage migration

A company transfers 50 YiB of archived data to a new platform reporting in EiB:

50 YiB×1,048,576=52,428,800 EiB50 \, \text{YiB} \times 1,048,576 = 52,428,800 \, \text{EiB}

Example 3: Network bandwidth planning

An ISP anticipates 5.2 YB of annual traffic by 2030. To express this in exabytes:

5.2 YB×1,000,000=5,200,000 EB5.2 \, \text{YB} \times 1,000,000 = 5,200,000 \, \text{EB}

This helps infrastructure engineers design backbone networks capable of handling 5.2 billion EB per year.

Why unit precision matters

  • Storage procurement: A vendor quoting 1 YB of capacity delivers 102410^{24} bytes, but your OS will display ≈0.826 YiB.
  • Data center costs: Misinterpreting YiB as YB could cause 21% underprovisioning (since 1 YiB = 1.2089 YB).
  • Scientific reproducibility: Research datasets must specify measurement systems to enable accurate replication.
  • Legal compliance: Storage contracts require explicit unit definitions to avoid disputes.

The 1998 IEC standard formalized binary prefixes (kibi-, mebi-, gibi-) to eliminate confusion that previously caused consumer lawsuits against storage manufacturers.

Frequently asked questions

How many exabytes are in one yottabyte?

1 YB = 1,000,000 EB (decimal system). Calculation:

1 YB1 EB=1024 bytes1018 bytes=106=1,000,000\frac{1 \, \text{YB}}{1 \, \text{EB}} = \frac{10^{24} \, \text{bytes}}{10^{18} \, \text{bytes}} = 10^6 = 1,000,000

Why does 1 YiB equal 1,048,576 EiB?

Because both units follow binary scaling:

1 YiB=280 bytes,1 EiB=260 bytes1 \, \text{YiB} = 2^{80} \, \text{bytes}, \quad 1 \, \text{EiB} = 2^{60} \, \text{bytes} 280260=220=1,048,576\frac{2^{80}}{2^{60}} = 2^{20} = 1,048,576

When should I use YB vs YiB?

Use YB/EB when:

  • Calculating storage manufacturer specifications
  • Working with network bandwidth metrics
  • Discussing storage in scientific publications using SI units

Use YiB/EiB when:

  • Reporting file sizes in Windows/macOS/Linux
  • Allocating memory in programming
  • Configuring storage volumes in software

What’s the largest storage unit ever defined?

The yottabyte (YB) is currently the largest standardized unit, though two unofficial extensions exist:

  • Brontobyte (1,000 YB)
  • Geopbyte (1,000,000 YB)
    No practical systems approach these scales yet—1 YB exceeds all data created in human history before 2020.

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