From Tape to AI: Unlocking Decades of Video for the Next Generation of Intelligence

New pipeline converts legacy tape archives into structured, searchable data for AI systems.

Tape Ark and Versos AI announced a strategic partnership to unlock one of the world’s largest untapped sources of AI training data: video stored on physical tape.

For decades, organizations around the world have captured and stored vast amounts of video on tape. Broadcasters, studios, sports leagues, and enterprises have built enormous archives. often containing some of the most valuable real-world footage ever recorded.

But much of this content remains locked away.

Stored on aging formats, dependent on obsolete hardware, and often poorly cataloged, these archives are largely inaccessible. In many cases, organizations don’t even know exactly what they have.

At the same time, the AI landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift.

The Rising Demand for Video in AI

AI is rapidly evolving, from language models to advanced “world models” that learn from visual data and require massive volumes of high-quality video to train effectively.

While much of the public internet has already been consumed for training data, a vast and valuable resource still exists offline—on tape and legacy storage systems.

“The future of AI training data is video, and much of it is still trapped on tape and drives,” said Chris Keevill, CEO of Versos AI. “This partnership with Tape Ark creates a direct pipeline to unlock that footage and transform it into structured, usable data for AI systems.”

A New Pipeline from Tape to AI

Together, Tape Ark and Versos are establishing a seamless, end-to-end pipeline that connects legacy media archives to the AI ecosystem.

  • Tape Ark digitizes and migrates tape-based video into the cloud at unmatched industrial scale and speed
  • Versos transforms that content into structured, searchable, and licensable datasets for AI training and use

This combined approach solves a critical challenge: not just digitizing content, but making it usable.

Once digitized, video is enriched using advanced AI technologies. Content is automatically tagged and indexed—identifying objects, scenes, people, and events across massive libraries of footage.

What was once sitting idle on a shelf becomes:

  • Instantly discoverable
  • Fully searchable
  • Ready for AI training and analytics
  • Positioned for licensing and monetization

Archives that haven’t been viewed in years become accessible for the first time—unlocking both historical and commercial value.

From Cost Center to Revenue Stream

For years, tape archives have been a significant cost burden.

“Companies are paying between $0.40 and $1.20 per tape per month just to store content on a shelf,” said Guy Holmes, CEO of Tape Ark. “Many are spending millions holding archive data that’s largely inaccessible, unusable, and degrading every day.”

Digitization changes that equation entirely.

Once content is restored, digitized, and migrated to the cloud:

  • Storage costs drop to a fraction of a cent
  • Content becomes usable across modern workflows
  • Archives can be monetized as AI training data

“Instead of paying to store it, organizations can start monetizing it,” Holmes added.

This shift transforms archives from passive liabilities into active, revenue-generating assets.

Industrial-Scale Transformation

Tape Ark has already processed more than an exabyte of data globally, including over 200 petabytes of video—equivalent to approximately 29 million hours of high-quality 4K footage.

Through its partnership with Versos, Tape Ark now offers customers a seamless pathway to unlock even greater value from their archives—combining large-scale digitization with AI-ready data structuring.

The Future of Video Archives

For the first time, organizations can:

  • Understand exactly what exists in their archives
  • Unlock the full value of their historical content
  • Participate in the rapidly growing market for AI training data

As demand for high-quality video continues to accelerate, those who can supply structured, rights-ready datasets will play a critical role in shaping the AI economy.

Your Archive Is More Than History

For decades, tape archives have been viewed as a record of the past.

Today, they represent something far more powerful.

A foundational data source for the future of AI.

Together, Tape Ark and Versos are transforming dormant video into one of the most valuable assets in the world – creating a new data pipeline that connects legacy content to the next generation of intelligent systems.

Read more about our partnership here

Media Coverage:

IT Brief: Versos AI & Tape Ark Unlock Taped Video For Training

Entrevestor: Versos AI Partners with Tape Ark

Business Insider: Versos AI and Tape Ark Unlock Vast Troves of AI Training Data Stored on Tape

GlobeNewsWire: Versos AI and Tape Ark Unlock Vast Volumes of AI Training Data Stored on Tape

Caledon Enterprise: Versos AI and Tape Ark Unlock Vast Troves of AI Training Data Stored on Tape

Digital Journal: Versos AI and Tape Ark Unlock Vast Troves of AI Training Data Stored on Tape