The assessment of data handling in terms of terabytes per second is a relatively new phenomenon. Throughout the last decade, data transmission storage capabilities were usually measured either in gigabytes or in megabytes. New technologies have pushed the possibilities of data transfer and storage into a realm to which the terabyte now applies.

In terms of data transfer, new laser technologies are chiefly responsible for bringing data transfer rates into the territory of TBps measurements. Scientists have found that lasers can quickly alter the magnetic data entries in a drive, making it possible to achieve much faster data transfer rates by heating the medium and blasting it with lasers. This kind of technology is still in its infancy, but a normal projected progression of data handling and storage is likely to create a shift measurements from GBps to TBps in the near future.