Petabyte Server

To use this instrument, create an account. If this equipment can be scheduled and you have been trained/have the appropriate permissions, re-visit this page to view the calendar and sign-up

What is a Petabyte?

A petabyte is a multiple of a byte, which is the unit of storage size for digital information. Since peta indicates multiplication by the fifth power of 1,000, a petabyte is equal to one quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) bytes, 1,000,000 GBs, or 1,000 TBs.

To try putting this in perspective, scientists estimate the human brain has space for about 2.5PB of memories. Or consider that a single PB would be enough to store 24/7 video recording at 1080p for almost 3.5 years. Basically, you could take 4,000 high resolution digital photos every day for your entire life to fill up one petabyte.

The PCAT houses a petabyte server for storing immense amounts of data.  If you would like to use this resource, contact Dr. Michael McManus.