Fujifilm plans first magnetic tape output increase in 20 years
An investment of about 10 billion yen at the Odawara base will lift capacity to five times its fiscal 2025 level over three years through fiscal 2028.
- Fujifilm is increasing its magnetic tape production for the first time in 20 years in response to surging data volumes and the need for secure, offline storage.
- The company will invest about 10 billion yen over a three-year period to expand its manufacturing base in Odawara, Japan.
- This expansion is expected to increase production capacity to five times its fiscal 2025 level.
- The increased demand is driven by the growth of AI and cloud services, as well as the need to protect data from cyberattacks by keeping it offline.
Magnetic tape is attracting greater interest as companies contend with surging data volumes and increased information theft. An expansion announced on Thursday (October 29) by Japan’s Fujifilm Corporation will mark its first production increase in two decades.
Because tape can be kept separate from networks, it offers a way to protect stored information against cyberattacks. Keeping data on tape is inexpensive, and the medium is suited to managing information over long periods.
The spread of artificial intelligence and cloud services has sharply increased the amount of data businesses need to retain. Theft of information through unauthorised access has risen at the same time.
Fujifilm’s manufacturing base in Odawara will receive investment totalling about 10 billion yen over a three-year period ending in fiscal 2028. The site is in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, and the expansion will bring capacity to five times its fiscal 2025 level.
The company will strengthen its supply system for tape with a capacity of up to 100 terabytes when the data is compressed. Tape processes information less quickly than the magnetic discs in hard disk drives and the flash memory in solid-state drives.
Fujifilm says its share of the global magnetic tape market is the largest. It is also continuing to improve its products.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
