Gibibit to Petabit Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert gibibits to petabits with our free online data storage converter.
Gibibit to Petabit Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Gibibit).
- The converted value in Petabit will appear automatically in the 'To' field.
- Use the dropdown menus to select different units within the Data Storage category.
- Click the swap button (⇌) to reverse the conversion direction.
How to Convert Gibibit to Petabit
Converting Gibibit to Petabit involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Gibibit = 1.0737e-6 petabits
Example Calculation:
Convert 10 gibibits: 10 × 1.0737e-6 = 1.0737e-5 petabits
Disclaimer: For Reference Only
These conversion results are provided for informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, we make no guarantees regarding the precision of these results, especially for conversions involving extremely large or small numbers which may be subject to the inherent limitations of standard computer floating-point arithmetic.
Not for professional use. Results should be verified before use in any critical application. View our Terms of Service for more information.
What is a Gibibit and a Petabit?
A gibibit (Gib) is a unit of digital information equal to 230 bits, which is exactly 1,073,741,824 bits. It uses the binary prefix 'gibi-' established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The gibibit is closely related to the gigabit (Gb), which is defined using the decimal prefix 'giga-' (109 bits).
A petabit (Pb or Pbit) is a multiple of the bit unit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix peta- (symbol P) is defined in the International System of Units (SI) as a multiplier of 1015 (1 quadrillion, or 1 followed by 15 zeros). Therefore, 1 petabit = 1,000,000,000,000,000 bits. This is equivalent to 1,000 terabits (Tb) or 1,000,000 gigabits (Gb).
Note: The Gibibit is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Petabit belongs to the imperial/US customary system.
History of the Gibibit and Petabit
The prefix 'gibi-' (representing 230) was defined by the IEC in 1998 along with other binary prefixes (kibi-, mebi-, tebi-, etc.). This standardization aimed to eliminate the confusion caused by using SI prefixes (like kilo-, mega-, giga-) to denote both powers of 1000 (decimal) and powers of 1024 (binary) in computing contexts. The term 'gibibit' specifically refers to the 230 multiple of bits.
As data volumes and network speeds continued to increase dramatically beyond the terabit scale, the petabit became relevant for quantifying extremely large amounts of data and ultra-high transmission capacities. It strictly follows the SI definition of 'peta-' as 1015. The distinction between decimal (petabit, Pb) and binary (pebibit, Pib = 250 bits) became increasingly important at this scale, leading to the formalization of binary prefixes like 'pebi-' by the IEC to avoid ambiguity.
Common Uses for gibibits and petabits
Explore the typical applications for both Gibibit (imperial/US) and Petabit (imperial/US) to understand their common contexts.
Common Uses for gibibits
While less common in everyday usage than the gigabit (Gb) which is often used for network speeds (Gbps), the gibibit is important where binary precision is required:
- Specifying memory chip capacities at the bit level in technical documentation.
- Internal calculations within networking hardware or software that operate on binary multiples.
- Theoretical calculations in computer science, information theory, and data transmission analysis.
- Comparing binary (Gib) and decimal (Gb) data quantities accurately.
Common Uses for petabits
Petabits are primarily used in contexts involving massive data scales:
- Measuring the theoretical or actual data transfer rates of core internet backbones, major international communication links, and large-scale data center networks (often expressed in Pbps - petabits per second).
- Quantifying the aggregate data traffic processed by major internet exchange points (IXPs) or national telecommunications networks over specific timeframes.
- Describing the capacity of cutting-edge optical fiber communication systems and research networks.
- Characterizing the sheer volume of data generated or processed in large scientific endeavors, such as high-energy physics experiments, climate modeling, or large astronomical surveys, especially when discussing data transmission or raw bit counts.
- High-performance computing (HPC) environments dealing with massive datasets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Gibibit (Gib)
How many bits are in a gibibit?
There are exactly 230 bits in 1 gibibit (Gib). This equals 1,073,741,824 bits.
How many mebibits (Mib) are in a gibibit (Gib)?
There are 1,024 mebibits (Mib) in 1 gibibit (Gib). This is because 1 Gib = 230 bits and 1 Mib = 220 bits, and 230 / 220 = 210 = 1,024.
What is the difference between a gibibit (Gib) and a gigabit (Gb)?
A gibibit (Gib) represents 230 bits (1,073,741,824 bits), using the binary prefix 'gibi-'. A gigabit (Gb) represents 109 bits (1,000,000,000 bits), using the decimal prefix 'giga-'. A gibibit is approximately 7.37% larger than a gigabit (1 Gib ≈ 1.074 Gb).
What is the difference between a gibibit (Gib) and a gibibyte (GiB)?
A gibibit (Gib) measures information in bits, while a gibibyte (GiB) measures information in bytes. Assuming the standard 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 gibibyte (GiB) is equal to 8 gibibits (Gib). Both use the binary prefix 'gibi-' (230).
About Petabit (Pb)
How many bits are in a petabit?
There are exactly 1,000,000,000,000,000 bits (one quadrillion bits, or 1015 bits) in 1 petabit (Pb), according to the standard SI definition of the prefix 'peta-'.
What is the difference between a petabit (Pb) and a petabyte (PB)?
- A petabit (Pb) measures data in bits and equals 1015 bits. It is commonly used for data transfer rates and network capacity.
- A petabyte (PB) measures data in bytes. According to SI standards, it equals 1015 bytes. It is typically used for measuring large storage capacities. (Note: The term pebibyte (PiB) correctly refers to 250 bytes).
Since 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 petabyte (1015 bytes) is equal to 8 x 1015 bits, or 8 petabits. Therefore, a petabyte represents 8 times more data than a petabit.
What is the difference between a petabit (Pb) and a pebibit (Pib)?
- A petabit (Pb) uses the decimal SI prefix 'peta-' and equals 1015 bits (1,000,000,000,000,000 bits).
- A pebibit (Pib) uses the binary IEC prefix 'pebi-' and equals 250 bits (1,125,899,906,842,624 bits).
A pebibit is approximately 12.6% larger than a petabit (1 Pib ≈ 1.126 Pb). Use Pb for contexts adhering to decimal standards (like network speeds) and Pib when precise binary multiples (powers of 2) are required (often related to memory or specific storage architectures).
How many gigabits (Gb) are in a petabit (Pb)?
There are 1,000,000 gigabits (Gb) in 1 petabit (Pb). This is derived from the SI prefixes: 1 Pb = 1015 bits and 1 Gb = 109 bits. Therefore, 1 Pb / 1 Gb = 1015 / 109 = 106 = 1,000,000.
Conversion Table: Gibibit to Petabit
Gibibit (Gib) | Petabit (Pb) |
---|---|
1 | 0 |
5 | 0 |
10 | 0 |
25 | 0 |
50 | 0 |
100 | 0 |
500 | 0.001 |
1,000 | 0.001 |
All Data Storage Conversions
Other Units from Data Storage
- Bit (b)
- Byte (B)
- Kilobit (kb)
- Kilobyte (KB)
- Megabit (Mb)
- Megabyte (MB)
- Gigabit (Gb)
- Gigabyte (GB)
- Terabit (Tb)
- Terabyte (TB)
- Petabyte (PB)
- Exabit (Eb)
- Exabyte (EB)
- Kibibit (Kib)
- Kibibyte (KiB)
- Mebibit (Mib)
- Mebibyte (MiB)
- Gibibyte (GiB)
- Tebibit (Tib)
- Tebibyte (TiB)
- Pebibit (Pib)
- Pebibyte (PiB)
- Exbibit (Eib)
- Exbibyte (EiB)