A team of researchers in China has developed groundbreaking technology allowing storage of a vast data set equivalent to about 5.8 billion indexed web pages within a device the size of a desktop computer.
Published in the journal Nature, the team from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Peking University, and the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics and Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, has devised a method involving stacking nanoscale disks into arrays to achieve extabit-level storage, crucial for space-constrained big data centers.
In this optical data storage (ODS) breakthrough, the team’s three-dimensional architecture enables data storage across hundreds of layers, surpassing previous limits of single-layer storage.
With layers just 1 micrometer apart, akin to a standard DVD, data is written and read using laser beams, enabling a capacity of up to 1.6 petabits for a DVD-sized disk area, approximately 24 times more than today’s advanced hard disk drives.
This innovation could revolutionize data centers, potentially reducing the need for frequent data migration and providing more energy-efficient and durable storage, lasting 50 to 100 years compared to the 5 to 10-year lifespan of hard disk drives. Professor Wen Jing highlights its potential for individuals and families to manage extensive data collections easily.
The technology, built upon existing DVD production methods, aims for further improvements in speed, energy efficiency, and affordability to make it commercially available soon.