Yottabit

A yottabit (symbol: Yb) is a unit of digital information equal to 10^24 bits. It is formed from the SI prefix yotta, which denotes 10^24, combined with the base unit bit. In data-rate contexts, the yottabit per second (Yb/s) is used to describe an extremely large transfer speed.

A yottabit in bytes is 1.25 × 10^23 bytes, since there are eight bits per byte. In larger storage terms, this corresponds to about 125 zettabytes or 0.125 yottabytes, reflecting the difference between the bit and byte scales.

Usage and prevalence: The yottabit is largely theoretical and rarely used in practical measurements. Most current storage devices and networks are described in bytes or smaller prefixes (kilobyte to exabit per second). Discussions of global data volumes, future ultra-large-scale networks, or hypothetical extreme data-generation scenarios may reference yottabits to convey immense magnitudes.

Standardization: The yotta prefix is part of the International System of Units (SI) and denotes 10^24. The unit symbol Yb specifies bits, while YB would denote yottabytes. When used for data rates, the convention is Yb/s or sometimes simply Ybps to indicate per-second transfer.

See also: Byte, Yottabyte, Zettabit, Exabit, SI prefixes.