Petabit to Pebibyte Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert petabits to pebibytes with our free online data storage converter.
Petabit to Pebibyte Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Petabit).
- The converted value in Pebibyte 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 Petabit to Pebibyte
Converting Petabit to Pebibyte involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Petabit = 0.111022 pebibytesExample Calculation:
Convert 10 petabits: 10 × 0.111022 = 1.11022 pebibytes
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.
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What is a Petabit and a Pebibyte?
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).
A pebibyte (PiB) is a unit of digital information storage equal to 250 bytes, which is exactly 1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes (or 10245 bytes). It uses the binary prefix 'pebi-' established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The pebibyte was created to provide an unambiguous measurement for byte multiples based on powers of 2, distinguishing it from the petabyte (PB), which is based on the decimal prefix 'peta-' (1015 or 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes).
Note: The Petabit is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Pebibyte belongs to the imperial/US customary system.
History of the Petabit and Pebibyte
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.
The prefix 'pebi-' (representing 250) was defined by the IEC in 1998 alongside other binary prefixes (kibi-, mebi-, gibi-, tebi-, exbi-). Before this standard, the SI prefix 'peta-' (P) was ambiguously used to represent both 1,000,000,000,000,000 (1015, as per its SI definition) and 1,125,899,906,842,624 (250) in computing contexts, especially for very large data volumes. This led to significant confusion when comparing storage capacities advertised by manufacturers (often using decimal prefixes) and those reported by operating systems or used in technical specifications (often using binary interpretations). The introduction of the pebibyte (PiB) aimed to resolve this ambiguity by providing a specific term for 250 bytes.
Common Uses for petabits and pebibytes
Explore the typical applications for both Petabit (imperial/US) and Pebibyte (imperial/US) to understand their common contexts.
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.
Common Uses for pebibytes
Pebibytes are used in contexts dealing with extremely large amounts of data storage where precision based on powers of 2 is necessary:
- Measuring the capacity of very large-scale storage systems, data centers, and cloud storage infrastructure.
- Reporting file system sizes and disk space usage by operating systems for extremely large volumes, especially where IEC standards are followed.
- High-performance computing (HPC), large dataset analysis (Big Data), scientific research, and simulations involving massive data storage requirements.
- Technical specifications for enterprise-level storage hardware and software where exact binary multiples are crucial.
- Archiving and backup systems handling petabyte-scale data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions 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.
About Pebibyte (PiB)
How many bytes are in a pebibyte (PiB)?
There are exactly 250 bytes in 1 pebibyte (PiB). This equals 1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes.
How many tebibytes (TiB) are in a pebibyte (PiB)?
There are 1,024 tebibytes (TiB) in 1 pebibyte (PiB). This follows the binary prefix system where 1 PiB = 250 bytes and 1 TiB = 240 bytes, and 250 / 240 = 210 = 1,024.
What is the difference between a pebibyte (PiB) and a petabyte (PB)?
A pebibyte (PiB) represents 250 bytes (1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes), using the IEC binary prefix 'pebi-'. A petabyte (PB) typically represents 1015 bytes (1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes), using the SI decimal prefix 'peta-'. A pebibyte is approximately 12.6% larger than a petabyte (1 PiB ≈ 1.126 PB). Use PiB for precision in binary contexts (like large-scale OS reporting, HPC storage) and PB for decimal contexts (like marketing large storage systems) or when the specific definition is clarified.
What is the difference between a pebibyte (PiB) and a pebibit (Pib)?
A pebibyte (PiB) measures information in bytes, while a pebibit (Pib) measures information in bits. Assuming the standard 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 pebibyte (PiB) is equal to 8 pebibits (Pib). Both use the binary prefix 'pebi-' (250).
Why is PiB used less often than PB in marketing?
Marketing materials for large storage systems often use the decimal prefix (PB, EB) because it results in a larger-looking number for capacity compared to the binary prefix (PiB, EiB) for the same amount of physical storage. For example, 1015 bytes is marketed as 1 PB, while an OS might report a similar capacity using PiB (1 PB is approximately 0.888 PiB). Using decimal units allows manufacturers to advertise higher, rounder numbers, even though technical contexts often rely on binary measurements.
Conversion Table: Petabit to Pebibyte
| Petabit (Pb) | Pebibyte (PiB) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.111 |
| 5 | 0.555 |
| 10 | 1.11 |
| 25 | 2.776 |
| 50 | 5.551 |
| 100 | 11.102 |
| 500 | 55.511 |
| 1,000 | 111.022 |