Total data volume120 quintillion bytes
240 quadrillionPhone contacts
30 quintillionEmojis
~120 zettabytes; growing ~2.5 exabytes per day
Photo on Unsplash
The Entire Internet
All of human knowledge, plus a lot of cat videos/Collective & Conceptual
The total amount of data on the internet is estimated at around 120 zettabytes (1.2 × 10^20 bytes) as of the mid-2020s, and it is growing by roughly 2.5 quintillion bytes per day. Keeping all of this data alive requires an estimated 300+ gigawatts of power across the world's data centers, networking equipment, and end-user devices. The physical infrastructure includes over 550 submarine cables spanning 1.4 million km under the ocean. Roughly 90% of all data ever created has been generated in the last two years.
Measurements
Total power consumption300 billion W
300 millionRunning microwaves
300 trillionFireflies
1.58Saturn V first stages
~300 GW for data centers, networks, and devices worldwide
Submarine cable total length1.4 billion m
2.5 quadrillionGreen light wavelengths
233 millionIce cream truck lengths
184 millionTape measure lengths
~1.4 million km of undersea fiber optic cables as of 2024
Daily data creation2.5 quintillion bytes
83.3 millionSteam game installs
12.5 trillionScanned pages
~2.5 exabytes created or replicated per day globally
Signal speed in fiber optic cable200 million m/s
17,879Earth escape velocities
222,222Rifle bullet speeds
2.9 millionGolf ball drives
Light travels at ~2/3 the speed of light in fiber optic glass