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Petabyte to Exabit Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool

Convert petabytes to exabits with our free online data storage converter.

Petabyte to Exabit Calculator

Petabyte
Exabit

How to Use the Calculator:

  1. Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Petabyte).
  2. The converted value in Exabit will appear automatically in the 'To' field.
  3. Use the dropdown menus to select different units within the Data Storage category.
  4. Click the swap button (⇌) to reverse the conversion direction.

How to Convert Petabyte to Exabit

Converting Petabyte to Exabit involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.

Formula:

1 Petabyte = 0.008 exabits

Example Calculation:

Convert 10 petabytes: 10 × 0.008 = 0.08 exabits

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 Petabyte and a Exabit?

A petabyte (PB) is a multiple of the byte unit for digital information 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 petabyte = 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes. This is equivalent to 1,000 terabytes (TB) or 1,000,000 gigabytes (GB). The petabyte is distinct from the pebibyte (PiB), which uses the binary prefix 'pebi-' established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and equals 250 bytes.

An exabit (Eb) is a unit of digital information equal to 1018 bits, or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bits (one quintillion bits). It uses the standard SI decimal prefix 'exa-'.

Note: The Petabyte is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Exabit belongs to the imperial/US customary system.

History of the Petabyte and Exabit

The prefix 'peta-' originates from the Greek word "pente," meaning five (as 1015 = 10005), and was officially adopted as an SI prefix in 1975. In computing and data storage, the term 'petabyte' became necessary as data volumes grew exponentially beyond the terabyte scale in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Initially, like other SI prefixes (kilo-, mega-, giga-, tera-), 'peta-' was sometimes ambiguously used by some to refer to the nearest power of 2 (250). However, the formal adoption of binary prefixes like 'pebi-' (Pi) by the IEC in 1998 aimed to resolve this confusion, clarifying that petabyte (PB) should strictly refer to 1015 bytes, while pebibyte (PiB) refers to 250 bytes. Despite standardization, the term PB is still sometimes used loosely in casual contexts, but in technical specifications and marketing, PB almost always means 1015 bytes.

The prefix 'exa-' (representing 1018) was adopted as an SI prefix by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1975. Its application to the bit (exabit) followed the increasing need to quantify extremely large amounts of digital information and data transfer rates in telecommunications and large-scale networking.

Common Uses for petabytes and exabits

Explore the typical applications for both Petabyte (imperial/US) and Exabit (imperial/US) to understand their common contexts.

Common Uses for petabytes

Petabytes are used to quantify extremely large amounts of digital storage and data:

  • Capacity of large-scale data centers, cloud storage platforms (e.g., Google Drive, AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage), and enterprise storage systems.
  • Big data analytics, involving the processing and storage of vast datasets for scientific research (like genomics, particle physics, astronomy), business intelligence, and machine learning model training.
  • National digital archives, large media libraries, and corporate data repositories storing historical records, high-resolution multimedia content, or extensive backups.
  • High-performance computing (HPC) environments managing massive simulation outputs or experimental data collections.
  • Large-scale video surveillance systems storing continuous high-resolution footage from numerous cameras.
  • Quantifying the total amount of data generated globally or traversing major internet backbones over periods.

Common Uses for exabits

Exabits are used to measure very large volumes of data, typically in contexts such as:

  • Total global internet traffic over extended periods (e.g., annually).
  • Aggregate data transfer across major international network backbones.
  • Theoretical capacities of future large-scale data storage systems or networks.
  • High-level discussions of data generated by large scientific projects (like particle physics or astronomy).

It is less common in consumer contexts compared to smaller units like gigabits or terabits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About Petabyte (PB)

How many bytes are in a petabyte (PB)?

There are exactly 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes (one quadrillion bytes, or 1015 bytes) in 1 petabyte (PB), according to the standard SI definition of the prefix 'peta-'.

How many terabytes (TB) are in a petabyte (PB)?

There are 1,000 terabytes (TB) in 1 petabyte (PB). This follows the SI prefixes where each prefix increases by a factor of 1,000: 1 PB = 1015 bytes and 1 TB = 1012 bytes. Therefore, 1 PB / 1 TB = 1015 / 1012 = 103 = 1,000.

What is the difference between a petabyte (PB) and a pebibyte (PiB)?

  • A petabyte (PB) uses the decimal SI prefix 'peta-' and equals 1015 bytes (1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes). It is commonly used in storage marketing and cloud capacity definitions.
  • A pebibyte (PiB) uses the binary IEC prefix 'pebi-' and equals 250 bytes (1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes). It is used for precise measurement in technical contexts where powers of 2 are relevant (like OS reporting or memory architecture).

A pebibyte is approximately 12.6% larger than a petabyte (1 PiB ≈ 1.126 PB).

What is the difference between a petabyte (PB) and a petabit (Pb)?

  • A petabyte (PB) measures data storage capacity in bytes and equals 1015 bytes.
  • A petabit (Pb) measures data quantity or data transfer speed in bits and equals 1015 bits.

Assuming the standard definition of 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 petabyte (PB) is equal to 8 petabits (Pb). Calculation: 1 PB = 1015 bytes = 1015 * 8 bits = 8 * 1015 bits = 8 Pb. Therefore, a petabyte represents 8 times more data storage capacity than the equivalent number of petabits.

Why is PB often used in marketing instead of PiB?

Storage manufacturers typically market drive and system capacities using the decimal prefix petabyte (PB) because 1015 bytes yields a larger, rounder number compared to the equivalent value expressed using the binary prefix pebibyte (PiB) (which is 250 bytes). For instance, a storage system containing exactly 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes is advertised as 1 PB. If measured in pebibytes, this same physical capacity would be approximately 0.888 PiB (since 1015 / 250 ≈ 0.888). Using PB allows manufacturers to present higher capacity figures, which is advantageous for marketing. This often leads to discrepancies where users see a marketed capacity in PB (or TB, GB) but their operating system reports a lower number when using binary calculations (often labeled GiB/TiB/PiB, or sometimes confusingly still labeled GB/TB/PB).

About Exabit (Eb)

How many bits are in an exabit?

There are 1018 (one quintillion, or 1 followed by 18 zeros) bits in 1 exabit (Eb).

How many petabits (Pb) are in an exabit (Eb)?

There are 1,000 petabits (Pb) in 1 exabit (Eb), since 'peta-' represents 1015 and 'exa-' represents 1018.

What is the difference between an exabit (Eb) and an exabyte (EB)?

An exabit (Eb) measures data in bits, while an exabyte (EB) measures data in bytes. Since 1 byte typically equals 8 bits, 1 exabyte (EB) is equal to 8 exabits (Eb).

What is the difference between an exabit (Eb) and an exbibit (Eib)?

An exabit (Eb) uses the decimal prefix 'exa-' (1018 bits). An exbibit (Eib) uses the binary prefix 'exbi-' (260 bits). An exbibit is significantly larger than an exabit (approximately 1.15 Eb). Exbibits are used when specifically referring to powers-of-2 multiples in computing contexts.

Conversion Table: Petabyte to Exabit

Petabyte (PB)Exabit (Eb)
10.008
50.04
100.08
250.2
500.4
1000.8
5004
1,0008

All Data Storage Conversions

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