Gibibits per second to Bytes per second conversion

How to convert gibibits per second to bytes per second?

Sure! Let's walk through the conversion of Gibibits per second (Gib/s) to Bytes per second (B/s) in both base 2 and base 10 systems.

Base 2 Conversion

1 Gibibit (Gib) is $2^{30}$ bits, because a Gibibit uses binary (base 2) measurement.

1 Gibibits per second (Gib/s) to bits per second (b/s): $1 \text{ Gib/s} = 2^{30} \text{ bits per second}$ $1 \text{ Gib/s} = 1,073,741,824 \text{ bits per second}$

Since there are 8 bits in a byte: $1 \text{ Gib/s} = \frac{1,073,741,824 \text{ bits}}{8}$ $1 \text{ Gib/s} = 134,217,728 \text{ Bytes per second} (B/s)$

Base 10 Conversion

1 Gigabit (Gb) in base 10 (decimal) is $10^9$ bits.

1 Gibibits per second isn't exactly used in base 10, but if we approximate 1 Gib based on base 10, it would be: $1 \text{ Gib} \approx 1.073741824 \text{ Gb}$

1.073741824 Gigabits per second (Gb/s) to bits per second: $1.073741824 \text{ Gb/s} = 1.073741824 \times 10^9 \text{ bits per second}$ $1.073741824 \text{ Gb/s} = 1,073,741,824 \text{ bits per second}$

Similarly, dividing bits by 8 to get bytes: $1 \text{ Gib/s} \approx \frac{1,073,741,824 \text{ bits}}{8}$ $1 \text{ Gib/s} \approx 134,217,728 \text{ Bytes per second} (B/s)$

Interestingly, in practical usage, network and storage industries often use the binary interpretation due to its close relation to actual computer architecture.

Real World Examples

• 128 Gib/s Network Connection: A very high-speed internal data bus or a top-end data center backbone link might operate at this speed. $128 \text{ Gib/s} = 128 \times 134,217,728 \text{ B/s}$ $128 \text{ Gib/s} = 17,179,869,184 \text{ Bytes per second}$

• 64 Gib/s Network Connection: Used in advanced data centers or server farms. $64 \text{ Gib/s} = 64 \times 134,217,728 \text{ B/s}$ $64 \text{ Gib/s} = 8,589,934,592 \text{ Bytes per second}$

• 16 Gib/s Connection: Common for high-performance interconnections within a high-end computer or server (e.g., PCIe buses). $16 \text{ Gib/s} = 16 \times 134,217,728 \text{ B/s}$ $16 \text{ Gib/s} = 2,147,483,648 \text{ Bytes per second}$

To summarize, both base 2 and base 10 give a very close result because 1 Gibibit per second is defined as $1,073,741,824$ bits per second, which when divided by 8 results in $134,217,728$ Bytes per second. The difference between base 2 and base 10 is generally negligible for most applications in practice, but it's important to know the context and requirements of your specific use case whether it demands exact binary or approximated decimal calculations.