Microsoft has achieved a breakthrough with Project Silica. The technology for long-term data storage now works with borosilicate glass. This is the same material used for cookware and oven doors. The method can store data for up to 10,000 years.
Long-term storage of digital information remains a challenge for data centers and archives. Magnetic tapes and hard drives degrade within a few decades, making them less suitable for storing data for future generations. Microsoft now claims to have made significant progress with Project Silica, an initiative in which femtosecond lasers encode data in glass.
The main difference between Project Silica and earlier versions? The technology now works with borosilicate glass instead of expensive quartz glass. This is a significant step towards commercialisation. What’s more, the material is resistant to water, heat, and dust.
From laboratory to kitchen
The findings were published in the scientific journal Nature. The new process stores hundreds of layers of data in glass that is only 2 millimeters thick. With current technology, only one camera is needed to read data from glass, rather than three or four as with older techniques. Other storage methods often use magnetic or electronic technologies to read data. By requiring only one camera, costs are reduced, and the device is more compact.
The writing equipment is also simpler. Fewer components mean that they are easier to produce and calibrate. This allows them to encode data faster. The researchers developed a technique to accelerate aging tests on inscribed glass, suggesting that the data will remain intact for at least 10,000 years.
The Nature publication describes several scientific breakthroughs. For example, the team introduced ‘phase voxels’, a new storage method in which the glass’s phase is altered rather than its polarization. These voxels can be formed with a single pulse.
Parallel writing is now possible by combining a mathematical model of pre- and post-heating within the glass with a multi-beam delivery system. Multiple voxels can be written into the glass simultaneously, significantly increasing the writing speed.
The research phase is now complete. Microsoft is considering the lessons learned from Project Silica as it explores the ongoing need for sustainable, long-term storage of digital information. The paper has been added to Microsoft’s published works so that others can build on it.