Quantum Announces LTO-10 Support for Scalar Tape

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 30, 2025 — Quantum Corporation has announced support for LTO Ultrium format generation 10 full-height tape drives in its Scalar tape libraries, including industry-Scalar i7 RAPTOR, Scalar i6, and Scalar i6000 systems. This latest advancement strengthens Quantum’s leadership in delivering high-density, secure, and cost-effective archival storage solutions.

By combining the massive native capacity of 30 TB per LTO-10 cartridge (up to 75 TB compressed at 2.5:1) with Quantum’s advanced tape automation and intelligent management software, customers gain the highest storage density, lowest total cost of ownership, and strongest cyber protection—ideal for long-term archiving in an era where preserving every bit of data is essential to staying competitive.

Quantum, along with IBM and HPE, is a long-standing member of the LTO Consortium, the group of companies that directs development and manages licensing and certification of LTO. LTO-10 serves as a core enabling technology across Quantum’s end-to-end solutions, powering integrated cold storage tiers ActiveScale object storage, extending automated archival tiers in StorNext file system, and enhancing long-term backup retention DXi data protection appliances. These deep integrations unlock the highest levels of seamless, scalable storage, from high-performance workflows to ultra-durable, AI-ready archives.

In anticipation of the new standard, Quantum designed the new Scalar i7 RAPTOR to deliver the highest storage density of any tape library on the market—up to 60 PB (LTO-10 native) in a single rack, and more than 3x the density of competing systems today. This translates to 70% lower operational costs through significant floor space, power, and cooling savings. Combined with Quantum’s exclusive security features like Ransom Block, Tape Blocking, and Active Vault, the Scalar platform delivers true air-gapped protection to defend against ransomware and cyber threats.

“The introduction of LTO-10 marks a major leap forward in tape technology,” said Fred Moore, president, Horison Information Strategies. “Its capacity, performance, and architectural improvements make it the most compelling choice for petabyte-scale, long-term data retention—especially in today’s AI-driven, video-rich, and compliance-heavy environments. The combination of LTO-10 and Quantum’s tape-integrated solutions offers exactly the kind of high-capacity, low-cost solution customers need to solve the challenge of storing data indefinitely.”

“Scalar i7 RAPTOR integrates seamlessly with Quantum StorNext NAS and SAN file workflows, ActiveScale object storage, and DXi deduplicated backup to deliver scalable, efficient cold storage across the data lifecycle,” said Bruno Hald, vice president and general manager of secondary storage at Quantum. “When paired with Scalar i7 RAPTOR, our S3-compliant ActiveScale solution becomes a powerful on-prem Glacier-class archive—now supporting LTO-10 and delivering up to 60 PB per frame and up to 70% lower cost for long-term data retention at exabyte scale.”

The new LTO-10 drives feature multiple interface options, including 32 Gb Fibre Channel and 12 Gb SAS, delivering up to 400 MB/s per drive. The LTO-10 SAS drives also support active optical connectivity, expanding cable distances from 10 to 100 meters, providing increased deployment flexibility. Unlike previous generations, LTO-10 requires no media calibration, streamlining operations and improving efficiency.

Quantum is currently accepting orders for LTO-10-based solutions including Scalar i7 Raptor, Scalar i6, Scalar i6000, and within ActiveScale object storage, and expects shipments to begin later this quarter. For more information on LTO-10 drives, visit www.quantum.com/lto-10. For more information on Quantum’s data lifecycle management solutions to propel, protect and preserve every bit of data, visit www.quantum.com.

Source: Quantum Corp.