gibibits

Gibibit is a unit of digital information storage. The prefix "gibi" denotes a factor of 2^30, which is equivalent to 1,073,741,824. Therefore, a gibibit (Gibit) represents 2^30 bits of data. This is distinct from a gigabit (Gbit), which uses the SI prefix "giga" and represents 10^9 bits. The gibibit is part of the IEC binary prefixes system, established by the International Electrotechnical Commission to provide unambiguous terminology for powers of two, particularly in computing where binary systems are prevalent. In practice, gibibits are less commonly used than their decimal counterparts like gigabits or gigabytes. However, they are sometimes encountered when specifying memory capacities or data transfer rates in contexts that strictly adhere to binary interpretations. For instance, a RAM module might be advertised with a capacity that is more accurately expressed in gibibits or gibibytes rather than gigabits or gigabytes. The distinction between binary and decimal prefixes is crucial for understanding storage and transfer speeds accurately, as the difference in values can be significant.