News

posted on 27 May 2008 10:33

IDC drive shipment data shows low-end tape consolidation continuing with DAT tape's share rising from 72.6 percent in 2006 to 76.5 percent in 2007.

There were 441,000 DAT units shipped in 2007, nine times more than Sony's AIT/AIT Turbo formats. The percentage rankings were:

- SLR - 3.15 percent,
- VXA - 4.42 percent
- DLT/DLT-VS - 7.32 percent
- AIT/AIT Turbo - 8.58 percent

Within DAT shipments the DAT72 format claimed 85 percent and the new DAT160 format, launched in June, 2007, by HP, took 3 percent after six months - 18,223 units.

DAT's dominance in the low-end tape space parallel's LTO's dominance in the mid-range and high-end open systems tape market where it is the undisputed market leader and other format sales have collapsed to legacy, installed base shipment status.

The overall size of the low-end tape market in 2007 and 2006 was not revealed by the DAT Manufacturers' Group. However it is thought to have shrunk by up to a quarter within that time period. There are just two drive manufacturers: HP; and Quantum. It is expected that low-end tape sales are being affected by the increased popularity of disk-to-disk backup.

Tandberg is the only VXA drive seller, since it has taken over Exabyte, and the signals are that it is managing the installed base sales and their decline and not expecting to increase the size of the customer base.

Quantum has said that LTO sales are its tape future and focussed away from SLR and DLT. Which leaves Sony. If it thinks it can still profitably manufacture AIT then it will carry on.

^{[Paul Roberts, news editor.]}