Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT) is a discontinued high-speed, high-capacity magnetic tape data storage format developed and controlled by

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

. It competed mainly against the DLT,

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, DAT/DDS, and

VXA VXA is a tape backup format originally created by Ecrix and now owned by Tandberg Data. After the merger between Ecrix and Exabyte on 17 November 2001, VXA was produced by Exabyte Corporation. On November 20, 2006, Exabyte was purchased by Tandber ...

formats. AIT uses a cassette similar to

Video8 The 8mm video format refers informally to three related videocassette formats. These are the original Video8 (analog recording) format and its improved successor Hi8 (analog video and analog audio but with provision for digital audio), as well as ...

. Super AIT (SAIT) is a higher capacity variant using wider tape in a larger, single-spool cartridge. Both AIT and SAIT use the

helical scan Helical scan is a method of recording high-frequency signals on magnetic tape. It is used in open-reel video tape recorders, video cassette recorders, digital audio tape recorders, and some computer tape drives. History Earl E Masterson from ...

method of reading and writing the tape.

Form factors

AIT technology was available in two form factors. * AIT – 8 mm, dual reel cartridge, similar to Sony's 8 mm videotape products and Exabyte's 8 mm data tape products. * SAIT – 1/2", single reel cartridge, similar to DLT and

. In March 2010, Sony announced the discontinuation of the AIT product line, and renewed collaboration with

Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components ...

on further development of the DDS tape format,

Compatibility

One of the most compelling features of the AIT format is that many generations are both backwards and forwards compatible. This allows multiple generations of tape drives to both read and write to multiple generations of tape media.

AIT generations

AIT-1

* Original specification's data capacity is 25 GB, with a data transfer speed of 3 MB/s. * Extended length tape, introduced in 1999 gave additional capacity, 35 GB. * Speed increased to 4 MB/s in 2001. * Turbo variant, introduced in 2004, is 50% faster (6 MB/s) and holds 40 GB. * A budget version, AIT-E Turbo, was also introduced in 2004 to compete with DDS. * SATA version of AIT-1 Turbo available in 2006.

AIT-2

* Doubled capacity and transfer speed *

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technology introduced * Turbo variant is 100% higher capacity, 100% faster (same speed as AIT-3) * Turbo variant introduced R-MIC technology * SATA version of AIT-2 Turbo available in 2006 * Higher capacity TAIT2-80N (Turbo) 80Gb native.

AIT-3

* Doubled capacity and transfer speed * Ex variant is 50% higher capacity, 50% faster

AIT-4

* Doubled capacity and transfer speed * New tape formulation, AME-2 * Not compatible with previous generations

AIT-5

* Available September 27, 2006 * Announced July 2006, hardware and media expected "in the fall." * Doubled capacity (via halved tracked pitch to 2.2 μm), maintained transfer speed. * Backwards compatible with AIT-3, AIT-3Ex, AIT-4 * New tape formulation, AME-3, which uses finer Cobalt particles resulting in SNR gain of 1 dB compared with AIT-4/AME-2. * A switch to GMR head technology (Flux Guide GMR).

SAIT generations

SAIT-1

* Highest capacity tape cartridge from 2003 to 2006. Displaced by DLT-S4 (800 GB). The AIT format was developed and is controlled by Sony.

SAIT-2

Released in 2006 by Sony, available only in libraries, 800 GB native and 45 MB/s sustained transfer rate.

Notes

* Data Capacity and Speed figures above are for ''uncompressed'' data. Sony assumes a 2x or 2.6x compression factor in their marketing material. * According to Sony, "All future products are based on technology projections."

Technical features

AME

Advance Metal Evaporated is a different formulation of tape media.

MIC

Memory in Cassette Memory chip in the cartridge that keeps relevant information about the tape.

R-MIC

Remote - Memory in Cassette Like MIC except it does not require physical contact.

WORM

Write Once Read Many functionality, useful for

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keeping.