Exbibyte (EiB) - Unit Information & Conversion
What is a Exbibyte?
Definition
An exbibyte (EiB) is a unit of digital information storage equal to 260 bytes, which is exactly 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 bytes. It uses the binary prefix 'exbi-' established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). One exbibyte is equivalent to 1,024 pebibytes (PiB).
History
The prefix 'exbi-' (representing 260) was defined by the IEC in 1998 alongside other binary prefixes (kibi-, mebi-, gibi-, tebi-, pebi-). This standardization aimed to eliminate the confusion caused by using SI prefixes (like kilo-, mega-, giga-, exa-) to denote both powers of 1000 (decimal) and powers of 1024 (binary) in computing. The term 'exbibyte' specifically refers to the 260 multiple of bytes, ensuring clarity in technical contexts where binary measurements are crucial, especially as data scales reached astronomical levels.
Common Uses
Exbibytes are used to measure extremely large data storage capacities, particularly where precision based on powers of 2 is required. Common applications include:
- Specifying the capacity of very large-scale storage systems and data centers using binary architecture.
- Reporting storage in high-performance computing (HPC) environments dealing with massive datasets.
- Technical documentation comparing binary (EiB) and decimal (EB) storage capacities at the exa-scale.
- Theoretical discussions about future data storage technologies and large file system limits.
- Certain operating system contexts or software that strictly adhere to binary reporting for storage.
While less common in consumer marketing than the exabyte (EB), the exbibyte is vital for technical accuracy in specific fields.
Unit FAQs
How many bytes are in an exbibyte?
There are exactly 260 bytes in 1 exbibyte (EiB). This equals 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 bytes.
How many pebibytes (PiB) are in an exbibyte (EiB)?
There are 1,024 pebibytes (PiB) in 1 exbibyte (EiB). This follows the binary prefix system where each subsequent prefix is 1024 times the previous one (1 EiB = 1024 PiB).
How many gibibytes (GiB) are in an exbibyte (EiB)?
There are 230 gibibytes (GiB) in 1 exbibyte (EiB). Since 1 EiB = 260 bytes and 1 GiB = 230 bytes, the conversion is 260 / 230 = 230, which equals 1,073,741,824 GiB.
What is the difference between an exbibyte (EiB) and an exabyte (EB)?
An exbibyte (EiB) is based on powers of 2 (260 bytes), using the IEC binary prefix 'exbi-'. An exabyte (EB) is based on powers of 10 (1018 bytes), using the SI decimal prefix 'exa-'. An exbibyte is larger than an exabyte, with 1 EiB being approximately 1.15 EB (about 15% larger). EiB provides precision in binary contexts (like RAM or some OS reporting), while EB is often used in marketing storage devices.
Exbibyte Conversion Formulas
To Bit:
To Byte:
To Kilobit:
To Kilobyte:
To Megabit:
To Megabyte:
To Gigabit:
To Gigabyte:
To Terabit:
To Terabyte:
To Petabit:
To Petabyte:
To Exabit:
To Exabyte:
To Kibibit:
To Kibibyte:
To Mebibit:
To Mebibyte:
To Gibibit:
To Gibibyte:
To Tebibit:
To Tebibyte:
To Pebibit:
To Pebibyte:
To Exbibit:
Convert Exbibyte
Need to convert Exbibyte to other data storage units? Use our conversion tool.