AIT - technical definition

(Advanced Intelligent Tape) A magnetic tape technology from Sony that uses 8mm cartridges similar in appearance to 8mm video cassettes, but are of far higher quality suitable for corporate use. Capable of data compression up to 2:6:1, AIT drives employ helical scan recording and advanced metal evaporated (AME) tape. AME media contains cobalt and provides greater bit density and less head wear than regular magnetic particle media.

Super AIT (SAIT)
SAIT uses half-inch cartridges with native capacities of 500GB and 800GB. AIT and SAIT co-exist because they satisfy different performance and capacity requirements. AIT spans the range from entry-level (AIT Turbo) to midrange/high-end enterprise (AIT), while SAIT begins at the enterprise midrange point. Following is a summary of capacities:

                 Native Capacity
  Type           In Gigabytes

  AIT-1 Turbo    40
  AIT-2 Turbo    80
  AIT-3          100
  AIT-3EX        150
  AIT-4          200
  AIT-5          400
  AIT-6          800 expected

  SAIT-1         500
  SAIT-2         800

Memory-In-Cassette
AIT's Memory-In-Cassette (MIC) feature provides fast file access and WORM backup. It comprises an EEPROM chip that stores tape status and indexing information. SAIT added Remote MIC (R-MIC) enabling the chip to be read without pulling the tape out of the cartridge. For more information, visit www.aittape.com. See magnetic tape.