Tape Storage Market Report 2026

The tape storage market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $6.27 billion in 2025 to $7.03 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increasing data generation across enterprises, rise in regulatory compliance storage needs, earlier adoption of tape for low cost archival, reliance on tape for disaster recovery, growth in data center expansions.

The tape storage market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $11.18 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.3%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing demand for scalable backup solutions, increasing use of high density lto formats, rising data sovereignty requirements, expansion of cloud provider storage offerings, increasing need for cyber resilient storage. Major trends in the forecast period include growing demand for long term archival storage, increased adoption of tape for disaster recovery, shift toward high capacity lto generations, rising use of tape storage in media and entertainment, expansion of hybrid storage architectures.

The increasing demand for IoT (Internet of Things) devices is another factor expected to propel the growth of the tape storage market. IoT devices, equipped with sensors, software, and connectivity features, generate vast amounts of data that require efficient storage solutions. Tape storage emerges as a cost-effective, scalable, secure, and reliable option for managing the substantial data volumes produced by IoT devices. It plays a crucial role in the comprehensive data storage and management strategy for IoT deployments. For example, IoT Analytics, a Germany-based provider of strategic business intelligence for IoT, reported that the total number of connected IoT devices worldwide reached 16.6 billion by the end of 2023, representing an approximate 15% increase over 2022, and is projected to rise by around 13% to 18.8 billion by the end of 2024. Consequently, the escalating demand for IoT devices serves as a driving force for the tape storage market.

Companies in the tape storage market are also forging partnerships to enhance their service offerings. Collaborations in this market drive innovation, expand market presence, achieve cost efficiency, offer customer-centric solutions, and contribute to ecosystem development. For instance, in August 2023, Fujifilm, a Japan-based conglomerate, and IBM, a US-based technology company, jointly announced the development of a 50TB native tape storage system. This system, marketed by IBM as an enterprise tape storage solution, addresses the growing demand for high-capacity storage in various sectors, including scientific data, industrial data collection, and cloud service provider environments. The sixth-generation IBM 3592 JF tape cartridge incorporates newly developed technology to achieve the record-breaking 50TB native capacity.

In April 2024, BMC Software, a US-based provider of cloud storage solutions, acquired Model9 for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition supports BMC's strategy to strengthen its offerings in mainframe and hybrid cloud software, specifically focusing on data management for large-scale applications. Model9 is an Israeli startup known for its expertise in mainframe Virtual Tape Libraries (VTL) and data export solutions.

Major companies operating in the tape storage market are Dell Technologies Inc., Hitachi Ltd., Sony Corporation, Lenovo Group Limited, International Business Machines Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, Fujitsu Limited, Toshiba Corporation, Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, Western Digital Corporation, TDK Corporation, Seagate Technology Holdings plc, NetApp Inc., Iron Mountain Incorporated, Qualstar Corporation, Maxell Holdings Ltd., Quantum Corporation, Barracuda Networks Inc., BDT Media Automation GmbH, Overland Tandberg EMEA, Spectra Logic Corporation, Tandberg Data GmbH, QStar Technologies Inc., Sphere 3D Corp, GlassBridge Enterprises Inc., Imation Corp, Advanced Digital Information Corporation, StorageTek Corp.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

Tariffs on magnetic materials, electronic components, and storage hardware have increased tape storage system production and import costs, particularly affecting data centers and cloud providers that rely on large scale procurement. Regions with strong manufacturing dependencies such as Asia Pacific and North America face delays in equipment sourcing. However, tariffs have encouraged localized assembly, stimulated investment in alternative component sourcing, and supported innovation in cost optimized tape formats for long term data archiving.

The tape storage market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides tape storage market statistics, including tape storage industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with an tape storage market share, detailed tape storage market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the tape storage industry. This tape storage market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

Tape storage involves magnetic tape data storage, a technology utilized for storing digital information on magnetic tape through digital recording. This method is employed to store large volumes of data, serving as a backup in the event of a system failure and for archiving data over the long term.

In the tape storage market, components include tape cartridges and tape vault, with capacities for archiving and backup. Tape cartridges store various data types, such as corporate data and audio/video files. Technologies such as LTO-1 to LTO-9, DDS-1 to DDS-4, and DLT IV are used, serving end-users such as cloud providers, data centers, and enterprises in verticals such as IT and telecom, BFSI, media and entertainment, healthcare, oil and gas, government, and defense.North America was the largest region in the tape storage market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the tape storage market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the tape storage market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The tape storage market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing tape storage services such as preserving, protecting, maintaining, and securing data . The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The tape storage market also includes sales of linear tape and helical scan systems. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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