Tape Shipments Plummet in 2025, but 2026 Aims to Rewrite the Numbers

Tape capacity shipments fell by 9 percent year-over-year in 2025, but there's hope for a rebound in 2026. According to data from the LTO Program Technology Provider Companies (TPCs), HPE, IBM, and Quantum, shipped tape archive capacity increased by 57 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.

This growth is attributed to the adoption of the new LTO-10 format, as well as a need to archive more data. Quantum CEO Hugues Meyrath stated that tape is increasingly viewed as a strategic component of modern data infrastructure due to its predictable economics and resilient long-term data retention at scale.

The trend in tape capacity shipments has been inconsistent over the years, with dips in 2018 due to a patent dispute between Fujifilm and Sony, and in 2020 attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, growth rebounded in 2022, followed by a modest increase in 2023 and a significant jump of 15.4 percent in 2024.

Using back-of-the-envelope math, if the first quarter's 57 percent rise continues for the rest of the year, the estimated total shipped capacity for 2026 would be approximately 251.67 EB, which could make it a watershed year for the tape market.