Exabits

Exabits are a unit of information equal to 10^18 bits. Denoted by the symbol Eb, the exabit is part of the decimal SI prefixes used for very large data sizes and data rates. The exabit is primarily used in theoretical discussions or planning for ultra-high-bandwidth networks and large-scale data infrastructures.

Converting to bytes, 1 exabit equals 1 × 10^18 bits divided by 8, which is 1.25 × 10^17 bytes, or about 125 petabytes. Because bytes are commonly used for storage capacity, it is important to distinguish between exabits and exabytes: 1 EB equals 8 Eb. In binary contexts, the corresponding unit is the exbibit (Ei), which equals 2^60 bits, and the exbibyte (EiB), which equals 2^60 bytes. These binary units are typically much less common in everyday discourse but are encountered in certain technical fields.

Usage and context: Eb/s (exabits per second) is used to describe extremely high data-rate links or the aggregate throughput of vast networks, such as backbone internet interconnects or cross-continental optical networks. In practical terms, most current networks operate at gigabits per second to a few terabits per second, with exabits per second representing a target for future, large-scale systems or comprehensive simulations.

See also: Exabyte, Exbibit, Exbibyte, Bit, Byte, Data rate.