Scientists store 4.8TB of data in glass disc for 10,000-year archival

Scientists store 4.8TB of data in a glass disc

Researchers have developed a new method for storing massive amounts of data inside glass, a medium they say could preserve information for more than 10,000 years. The technology, called Silica, uses a femtosecond laser to write data in 3D patterns within a standard-sized glass disc.

The team achieved a storage capacity of 4.8 terabytes on a single piece of glass measuring 120mm by 120mm and just 2mm thick. This represents a data density of 1.59 gigabits per cubic millimeter.

How the glass storage system works

The process, known as femtosecond laser direct writing, creates microscopic modifications called voxels inside the glass. Data is encoded across 301 separate layers within the material, vastly increasing its capacity compared to a single-layer disc.

To read the data back, a microscope captures images of the voxel patterns, which are then decoded by a computer. The system is an end-to-end solution, handling writing, storing, and retrieving information.

Key performance metrics for the writing process include:

• A write throughput of 25.6 megabits per second per laser beam
• An energy efficiency of 10.1 nanojoules per bit
• The current speed is limited by the laser's repetition rate

Why glass is a superior archival medium

Current archival solutions like magnetic tape and hard drives have limited lifespans and degrade over time. Glass, however, is an extremely durable and inert material, making it ideal for long-term preservation.

The researchers conducted accelerated aging tests on data written in borosilicate glass. The results suggest the information could remain readable for millennia, far outlasting any conventional digital storage.

Using common borosilicate glass, like that found in laboratory equipment, also offers a significant cost advantage. It is cheaper than specialty optical glass and simplifies both the writing and reading processes.

The future of long-term data preservation

This breakthrough addresses a critical challenge: how to preserve humanity's digital knowledge for future generations. As data creation explodes, the need for stable, high-density, long-term storage becomes urgent.

While previous research optimized individual aspects like density, this work demonstrates a complete, functional system. The shift to a common glass type is a major step toward practical, real-world application.

The technology promises a future where vast libraries, historical records, and scientific data can be stored permanently in a physically robust and compact format, safeguarding our digital legacy against the decay of time.