• Close-up of a piece of glass with Microsoft Flight Simulator map data written into itMicrosoft Research Close-up of a piece of glass with Microsoft Flight Simulator map data written into it Microsoft Research An automated system for storing large amounts of information in glass could change the future of data centres. • Our world runs on data, from the internet and readouts of countless industrial sensors to scientific data from particle colliders, and all of itmust be storedsafely and efficiently. • Read moreThe critical computer systems still relying on decades-old code Read more The critical computer systems still relying on decades-old code Advertisement In 2014,Peter Kazanskyat the University of Southampton in the UK and his colleagues showed that lasers can be used toencode hundreds of terabytes of data into nanostructures inside glass, thus creating a data storage method that could last longer than the age of the universe. • Their method wastoo impracticalto be scaled up to industrial size, butRichard Blackand his colleagues at Microsoft’sProject Silicahave now demonstrated a similar glass-based technology that might lead to long-lasting glass data libraries in the near future. • “Glass can withstand extreme temperatures, humidity, particulates and electromagnetic fields. • On top of that, glass has a great lifespan and doesn’t require replacing every couple of years.

Article Summaries:

  • Microsoft’s Project Silica has demonstrated a scalable glass‑based data storage system that could replace conventional data centres. Using femtosecond lasers, the team etched 4.8 TB of data into a 120 mm square, 2 mm thick glass slab-roughly 37 iPhones’ worth of storage in a third of the volume. The data is read with a microscope‑camera setup and decoded by a neural network, enabling automated, robotic operation. Accelerated ageing tests suggest the information could remain readable for over 10,000 years at 290 °C and longer at room temperature. While the technology promises durability, low energy use, and recyclability, questions remain about cost, integration, and scaling to 360 TB capacities.

Sources: