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DNA Chips: Files Could Outlive Civilizations
1 Oct
Summary
- A single DNA capsule could store up to 50 PB of digital information.
- Stored DNA data can remain viable for over 1,000 years without power.
- The technology offers molecular computing for complex problem-solving.
AtlasBase is pioneering DNA storage technology that could enable digital files to persist for millennia, potentially outlasting human civilizations. Their Thalia platform encodes data into synthetic DNA within small capsules, with a single unit capable of holding as much as 50 petabytes (PB).
The technology uses a silicon chip to chemically produce DNA sequences. These sequences are then dried and sealed in metal capsules, designed to fit into cartridges. A single capsule can initially store between 1 TB and 50 PB, with AtlasBase's cartridge design holding 100 capsules, offering a total potential capacity of up to 5 exabytes (EB) for archival purposes.
Significantly, this molecular data storage can remain usable for over 1,000 years without requiring continuous electricity, cooling, or mechanical parts. AtlasBase is also developing molecular computing capabilities, allowing computations to be performed directly on DNA molecules. This approach could prove useful for optimization problems, examining vast numbers of possibilities simultaneously, though data retrieval for computation currently takes minutes.
