Tape also has some inherent disadvantages. Perhaps surprisingly, the lack of near-instantaneous seek to the data you want isn't one of them. The larger issue at scale is that it's not disk. It's a separate kind of device, with its own power and (often very stringent) environmental requirements, and its own software. Also big silos aren't cheap, both because of inherent cost and for lack of significant competition. Hyperscalers hate that type of heterogeneity, so they'll only go down that road if they feel they have no other choice. Yes, media are cheap, but the extra operational complexity can obliterate that advantage.
A lot of this doesn't apply as you go smaller, but also the drive cost starts to dominate (can't be amortized over many cheap tapes). There's a pretty narrow band where tape is likely to have a real advantage over super-high-capacity disks.
A lot of this doesn't apply as you go smaller, but also the drive cost starts to dominate (can't be amortized over many cheap tapes). There's a pretty narrow band where tape is likely to have a real advantage over super-high-capacity disks.