Global data usage is astronomical, with more than a billion gigabytes of new data being produced every day, and these numbers continue to grow, requiring huge data storage systems to contain everything. In an attempt to better handle all this digital information, researchers from the Delft University of Technology have developed a data storage system that holds 500 times more data than even the most effective hard drives in use today.
The system uses chlorine atoms that get coded into bits -- i.e. binary information -- on a copper surface. The gargantuan storage power comes from the fact that each individual chlorine atom can be coded, vastly improving data density when compared to other hard drives.
Currently, the researchers were able to create 1 KB of codable data on a space 100 nanometers wide. Scaled outward, this is a data capacity of 62.5 TB per square inch. Though still in a developmental phase, this technology could revolutionize cloud computing and data storage.
Atomic Data Storage Systems
TU Delft's Technology Stores 500 Times More Data Than Any Other Drive
Trend Themes
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Industry Implications
1. Cloud Computing - Opportunities to integrate atomic data storage systems to enhance data storage and retrieval in cloud computing services.
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