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Enterprise · hyperscale · free-standing

Quantum Scalar i6000 and i7 RAPTOR
Scale out to 20 racks, or pack 2,016 cartridges into one

Above 800 slots, Quantum's libraries stop living in your rack and start standing on their own floor tiles. The i6000 is built for scale and availability, the i7 RAPTOR for density and power efficiency.
14,100[src]
I6000 MAXIMUM SLOTS
I6000 MAXIMUM DRIVES
2,016[src]
I7 RAPTOR SLOTS, ONE RACK
80.64 PB[src]
I7 NATIVE ON LTO-10 (PA)
≤5 min[src]
I7 MEAN TIME TO REPAIR
Titanium[src]
I7 POWER SUPPLY RATING
Two designs

Scale and redundancy, or density in one cabinet

Both libraries take full-height LTO-10, LTO-9, LTO-8 and LTO-7 drives and license slots in 100-slot steps[src]. Almost everything else about them differs.

The Quantum Scalar i6000 is the multi-frame enterprise library: a single unit stores up to 1,410 PB compressed, and Quantum stresses full redundancy of drives, power supplies, data and control paths and even robotics[src]. The Scalar i7 RAPTOR is aimed at AI data lakes and hyperscale archives, where floor space, power and serviceability decide the cost[src].

Scalar i6000 versus Scalar i7 RAPTORBoth: MSBF greater than 3 million, free-standing, Active Vault, Tape Blocking, RESTful API.Scalar i6000Scalar i7 RAPTORSlots100–14,100100–2,016Full-height drives1–1921–20FootprintUp to 20 full-rack modulesOne full rackGrows byAdding framesAdding magazinesActive/active dual robots✓—Mean time to repair20 min (10 dual robot)5 min or lessElectrical input100–240 VAC; −48 VDC200–240 VAC; 240/380 VDCPower suppliesOptional 2N, 80 PLUS Gold2N included, TitaniumImport/export slotsUp to 240 per partition0–56EDLM media scanning✓✓Both: MSBF greater than 3 million, free-standing, Active Vault, Tape Blocking, RESTful API.
Side-by-side from the technical specifications in Quantum's Scalar datasheet (DS00559A-v15). Installation notes: the datasheet says i6000 module upgrades require Quantum installation; Quantum's i7 brief calls the i7 100% customer-installable.
Capacity

Native capacity at the top of each range

The i6000's ceiling is set by frames, the i7's by its single cabinet. On the same media the i6000 reaches seven times the i7's capacity, across up to twenty racks instead of one[src].
Maximum native capacity: Scalar i6000 and i7 RAPTOR by mediai6000 configurations above 14,100 slots need Quantum qualification.Native petabytes at maximum slotsi6000 · LTO-10 (PA)564 PBi7 RAPTOR · LTO-10 (PA)80.64 PBi6000 · LTO-10 (LA)423 PBi7 RAPTOR · LTO-10 (LA)60.48 PBi6000 · LTO-9253.8 PBi7 RAPTOR · LTO-936.29 PBi6000 configurations above 14,100 slots need Quantum qualification.
Maximum native capacity from the Scalar datasheet capacity table: i6000 at 14,100 slots and i7 RAPTOR at 2,016 slots, on each LTO-10 cartridge type and on LTO-9. Quantum's compressed figures assume 2.5:1.
Drives

Where the i7's 20-drive limit starts to matter

Density is not the only axis. An archive that ingests a petabyte at a time needs drives, and the i7 RAPTOR tops out at 20 against the i6000's 192[src].
Hours to write 1 PB to LTO-10 by drive countArithmetic: TB × 1,000,000 ÷ (MB/s × drives) ÷ 3,600. A 24-hour window marked for scale.Hours to write at native drive speed24-hour backup window20 drivesScalar i7 RAPTOR maximum35 h48 drivesScalar i600014 h96 drivesScalar i60007.2 h192 drivesScalar i6000 maximum3.6 hArithmetic: TB × 1,000,000 ÷ (MB/s × drives) ÷ 3,600. A 24-hour window marked for scale.
Worked example, not a Quantum benchmark: writing 1 PB (1,000 TB) to LTO-10 at 400 MB/s native per full-height drive, assuming the ingest path keeps every drive streaming. 20 drives is the i7 RAPTOR maximum; 192 is the i6000 maximum.

For many archive workloads a day and a half to ingest a petabyte is acceptable, and the i7's density wins. Where tape is a primary backup target for a large estate, or several applications share one library through partitions, drive count and the i6000's dual robots usually matter more. Every Scalar supports logical partitioning[src].

Specifications

Scalar i6000 and i7 RAPTOR specifications

SpecificationScalar i6000Scalar i7 RAPTOR
Slots100 to 14,100 (larger with qualification); 100-slot CoD[src]100 to 2,016; 100-slot CoD[src]
Native capacity, LTO-10 (PA)4,000 to 564,000 TB4,000 to 80,640 TB
Native capacity, LTO-91,800 to 253,800 TB1,800 to 36,288 TB
Drives1 to 192 full-height1 to 20 full-height
Drive interfaces8 / 32 Gb FC (32 Gb with LTO-10); 12 Gb SAS (LTO-9 and LTO-10)[src]8 / 32 Gb FC (32 Gb with LTO-10); 12 Gb SAS (LTO-9 and LTO-10)[src]
FootprintUp to 20 full-rack modules, free-standingOne full-rack module, free-standing
Dimensions196.6 × 61.7 × 97.3 cm control module229.1 × 60.7 × 137.9 cm
Import/export24-slot I/E in control module; extra 24- and 72-slot stations; up to 240 per partition; bulk via high-density expansion module[src]Configurable 0 to 56 slots; bulk by magazine[src]
InventoryMost modules 1 min 12 s; four modules under 5 minComplete inventory about 4.5 hours; validation about 15 min
ReliabilityMSBF over 3 million; MTTR 20 min (10 min dual robot)MSBF over 3 million; MTTR 5 min or less
Electrical100–240 VAC; −48 VDC200–240 VAC or 240/380 VDC
Power suppliesOptional 2N, 80 PLUS Gold (control and expansion modules)2N included, 80 PLUS Titanium
Dual robotsActive/active, optionalNo

From Quantum's Scalar Tape Libraries datasheet, DS00559A-v15. Extended I/E, auto-import and export redirect are supported on both; not on the i3 or i6[src].

Vendor claims

What Quantum says about the i7 RAPTOR, attributed

Quantum claim

Floor space and TCO

Quantum's i7 brief claims floor space reduced by up to 80% and total cost of ownership cut by up to 70%, “especially in colocation environments”[src]. We model your own floor and power costs before relying on either.
Quantum claim

Energy

The same brief cites 80 PLUS Titanium supplies and claims up to 73% less energy than competing systems[src]. The Titanium rating itself is in the datasheet[src]; the comparison is Quantum's.
Datasheet

Serviceability

The datasheet gives a mean time to repair of 5 minutes or less[src], and Quantum's i7 page says components are 100% customer-replaceable[src]. That changes what a support contract needs to cover.

For the floor-space side of the sum, our rack space and power density planner and server room cooling calculator work for tape as well as servers.

Supply & quote

Plan an enterprise Scalar with us

  • We size slots, frames and drives from your archive, ingest rate and partitions.
  • We compare i6000 and i7 RAPTOR on your floor space, power and availability needs.
  • We plan delivery, floor position, power feeds and Quantum installation.
  • We quote library, drives, media, EDLM, key management and support together.

Get a Quantum quote

Tell us how much you keep, for how long, and what writes the backups. We size the library or appliance and quote the complete build.

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FAQs

Scalar i6000 and i7 RAPTOR: common questions

What is the difference between the Scalar i6000 and the Scalar i7 RAPTOR?

The i6000 is a multi-frame enterprise library: 100 to 14,100 slots, up to 192 full-height drives and up to twenty full-rack modules, with optional active/active dual robots. The i7 RAPTOR is a single free-standing rack built for density: 100 to 2,016 slots and up to 20 full-height drives, grown by adding magazines, with 2N Titanium power included. Pick the i6000 for drive count, scale and robot redundancy; pick the i7 for the most cartridges per floor tile.

How large can a Quantum Scalar i6000 grow?

Quantum’s datasheet lists 100 to 14,100 slots and 1 to 192 drives, scaling linearly up to 20 racks, with larger configurations available after Quantum qualification. On 40 TB LTO-10 (PA) cartridges, 14,100 slots is 564,000 TB native; Quantum quotes 1,410 PB at 2.5:1 compression.

Does the Scalar i6000 have redundant robots?

It can. Active/active dual robots are available on the Scalar i6000 only: a second robot adds availability and performance, operations continue if one fails, and robot service does not interrupt the application. Quantum gives a 10-minute mean time to repair for a dual-robot replacement.

What power does the Scalar i7 RAPTOR need?

200–240 VAC or 240/380 VDC, with 2N power and 80 PLUS Titanium supplies included. It does not list 100–120 VAC operation, so it needs a 230 V or DC feed; in a UK hall that is normally the standard 230 V supply, but check your PDUs and inlets.

Can the Scalar i7 RAPTOR present tape as S3 storage?

Through Quantum ActiveScale. Quantum says the i7 RAPTOR integrates with ActiveScale to offer an S3 interface with a Glacier-class storage tier, so applications write objects and ActiveScale places cold data on tape. See ActiveScale object storage.

Do the i6000 and i7 RAPTOR support Ransom Block?

No. Quantum’s datasheet limits Ransom Block to the Scalar i3 and i6. The i6000 and i7 RAPTOR still have Active Vault offline partitions, Tape Blocking, multi-factor authentication and AES-256 encryption, and both support EDLM background media scanning. How the protection layers compare →

Who installs a Scalar i6000 or i7 RAPTOR?

Module upgrades on the i6000 require Quantum installation, according to the datasheet. Quantum describes the i7 RAPTOR as 100% customer-installable, with every component user-replaceable in under five minutes. We plan the delivery, floor position and installation with you when we quote.

The Quantum range

More Quantum products we supply and quote

Quantum tape, backup & object storage →
Scalar tape, DXi backup and ActiveScale object storage, and how they fit together.
Quantum Scalar i3 tape library →
25 to 800 slots in 3U steps, up to 24 half-height LTO-9 drives.
Quantum Scalar i6 tape library →
Up to 800 slots and 32 PB native LTO-10 in one 48U rack.
Quantum SuperLoader 3 autoloader →
2U, 8 or 16 cartridges, one half-height LTO-9 drive.
Quantum LTO tape drives & media →
Half-height LTO-9 drives, LTO-10 in libraries, and which tapes each reads.
Scalar Active Vault & Ransom Block →
Air-gapped tape inside the library, from vault partition to physical block.
Quantum DXi backup appliances →
Deduplicating backup targets from a free virtual appliance to 2.2 PB.
Quantum ActiveScale object storage →
On-premises S3 with a tape-backed, Glacier-compatible cold tier.
Keep exploring

Related Servnet guides, tools and hardware

Sources

Every specification on this page comes from Quantum's own product pages, datasheets and tech briefs, listed below with their dates. Where Quantum's web copy and a datasheet differ, we use the datasheet. Figures are confirmed against the current revision when we quote.

  1. Quantum Scalar i6000 · web page, read 29 Oct 2026
  2. Quantum Scalar i7 RAPTOR · web page, read 29 Oct 2026
  3. Scalar Tape Libraries datasheet (DS00559A-v15) · PDF dated 21 Oct 2026
  4. Top 5 Reasons to Choose Scalar i7 RAPTOR (ST02524A) · PDF dated 29 May 2025
  5. Scalar Extended Data Life Management datasheet (DS00513A) · PDF dated 8 Oct 2026

Quantum, Scalar, SuperLoader, DXi, ActiveScale and iLayer are trademarks of Quantum Corporation. Linear Tape-Open, LTO and Ultrium are trademarks of HPE, IBM and Quantum. Servnet is an independent UK IT reseller; this page is our own guide to the range.

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