New glass disks store data for eternity

SAN FRANCISCO

 Researchers presented a new data storage innovation Wednesday that stockpiles an enormous amount of computer data on glass disks meant to last billions of years.

The new method, called “five-dimensional” data storage, uses lasers to encode information on microscopic structures within glass.

Each disk, measuring about the size of a coin, holds 360 terabytes of data – roughly the same amount as 80,000 DVDs. The disks are built to last for 14 billion years at 190 degrees Celsius (374 Fahrenheit), and should last indefinitely at room temperature.

Scientists estimate the universe is 14 billion years old, Earth 4.5 billion years old and modern humans have only been around just 200,000 years.

The paper unveiling the invention, titled “5D Data Storage by Ultrafast Laser Writing in Glass”, was presented Wednesday in San Francisco as part of The International Society for Optical Engineering Conference.

The disks are called five dimensional because the encoding involves the dimensions of size and orientation alongside the three spatial dimensions of the tiny glass structures.

“It is thrilling to think that we have created the technology to preserve documents and information and store it in space for future generations,” lead researcher Peter Kazansky said in a statement.

“This technology can secure the last evidence of our civilization: all we’ve learnt will not be forgotten.”

Noting how these disks could outlast the human species, the researchers have already begun encoding documents they deem vital for understanding today’s global culture.

These include the entire King James Bible, the foundational science text Opticks by Isaac Newton, the Magna Carta and the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Researchers hope to partner with the tech industry in order to bring the 5-D storage disks to consumers in the near future.