Petabyte to Kibibit Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert petabytes to kibibits with our free online data storage converter.
Petabyte to Kibibit Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Petabyte).
- The converted value in Kibibit 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 Petabyte to Kibibit
Converting Petabyte to Kibibit involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Petabyte = 7812500000000 kibibitsExample Calculation:
Convert 10 petabytes: 10 × 7812500000000 = 7.8125e+13 kibibits
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 Kibibit?
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.
A kibibit (Kib) is a unit of digital information equal to 210 bits, which is exactly 1,024 bits. It uses the binary prefix 'kibi-' established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The kibibit is closely related to the kilobit (kb), which is defined using the decimal prefix 'kilo-' (103 or 1,000 bits).
Note: The Petabyte is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Kibibit belongs to the imperial/US customary system.
History of the Petabyte and Kibibit
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 'kibi-' (representing 210) was defined by the IEC in 1998 alongside other binary prefixes (mebi-, gibi-, tebi-, etc.). This standardization aimed to eliminate the confusion caused by using SI prefixes (like kilo-) to denote both powers of 1000 (decimal) and powers of 1024 (binary) which were common in computing. The term 'kibibit' specifically refers to the 210 multiple of bits.
Common Uses for petabytes and kibibits
Explore the typical applications for both Petabyte (imperial/US) and Kibibit (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 kibibits
While less common in everyday usage than the kilobit (kb) – often used for data transfer rates (kbps) – the kibibit is important where binary precision for bit quantities is required:
- Technical specifications for memory chips or data buses where capacities are measured in powers of 2 at the bit level.
- Internal calculations within data communication protocols or hardware operating on binary multiples.
- Theoretical calculations in computer science and information theory.
- Ensuring accuracy when comparing binary (Kib) and decimal (kb) data quantities.
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 Kibibit (Kib)
How many bits are in a kibibit?
There are exactly 210 bits in 1 kibibit (Kib). This equals 1,024 bits.
What is the difference between a kibibit (Kib) and a kilobit (kb)?
A kibibit (Kib) represents 210 bits (1,024 bits), using the binary prefix 'kibi-'. A kilobit (kb) represents 103 bits (1,000 bits), using the decimal prefix 'kilo-'. A kibibit is 2.4% larger than a kilobit (1 Kib = 1.024 kb).
What is the difference between a kibibit (Kib) and a kibibyte (KiB)?
A kibibit (Kib) measures information in bits, while a kibibyte (KiB) measures information in bytes. Assuming the standard 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 kibibyte (KiB) is equal to 8 kibibits (Kib). Both use the binary prefix 'kibi-' (representing a factor of 210 or 1,024).
Why use kibibit instead of kilobit?
Using kibibit (Kib) removes ambiguity. When you see Kib, you know it specifically means 1,024 bits. Kilobit (kb) should mean 1,000 bits according to SI standards, but historically it was sometimes used informally to mean 1,024 bits, leading to confusion. Kib provides clarity in technical contexts requiring binary precision.
Conversion Table: Petabyte to Kibibit
| Petabyte (PB) | Kibibit (Kib) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 7,812,500,000,000 |
| 5 | 39,062,500,000,000 |
| 10 | 78,125,000,000,000 |
| 25 | 195,312,500,000,000 |
| 50 | 390,625,000,000,000 |
| 100 | 781,250,000,000,000 |
| 500 | 3,906,250,000,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 7,812,500,000,000,000 |