Fujifilm plans fivefold increase in magnetic tape capacity
A ¥10 billion (€56 million) investment will expand a Japanese factory, with most additional capacity dedicated to LTO Ultrium 10 cartridges.
Fujifilm will invest ¥10 billion (€56 million) to boost magnetic tape production capacity fivefold as AI data centers drive demand for storage. The expansion at its factory in Odawara, Kanagawa, is scheduled for fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2028.
Additional manufacturing lines and hiring are planned, with the capacity target measured against fiscal 2025 shipment volumes. Most of the increase will serve LTO Ultrium 10 cartridges for business backup and archiving. Fujifilm said no previous investment in its LTO tape facilities had been larger.
According to Fujifilm, cloud providers and operators of data centers are increasingly turning to tape to retain information over long periods. Tape offers relatively low-cost storage, while keeping cartridges offline separates them from ransomware and other network-based attacks.
Fujifilm puts the capacity of its latest LTO cartridge at up to 40TB and says the format’s longer-term development roadmap targets 365TB per cartridge. Its LTO Ultrium 10 range debuted in 2025; a 40TB version followed in January.
The broader LTO market has experienced fluctuating demand. The Register, citing the LTO Program, reported that shipments declined 9% in 2025 to 160.3 exabytes after a record 176.5 exabytes in 2024. Shipments then rose 57% in the first quarter of 2026.
