FEBRUARY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 21have commercially available production equipment to
read and write data. It’s also not quite clear how much
data can be stored per cubic millimetre, or how long
the data can actually last, among other questions that
have yet to be publicly answered.
Still, archival data is a problem that storage
companies have quietly tried to solve, especially as
factors like ‘disc rot’ quietly gnaw at CDs and DVDs
from years ago. Can hard drives spin forever? No.
Content providers have to balance the constant
maintenance of a storage solution like a server with
the cost of preserving data that may be touched once
or twice in a dozen years. Glass may be the answer,
but there’s still work to be done.A close-up of the Project Silica glassFEBRUARY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 21have commercially available production equipment to
read and write data. It’s also not quite clear how much
data can be stored per cubic millimetre, or how long
thedatacanactuallylast,amongotherquestionsthat
haveyet to be publicly answered.
Still, archival data is a problem that storage
companies have quietly tried to solve, especially as
factors like ‘disc rot’ quietly gnaw at CDs and DVDs
from years ago. Can hard drives spin forever? No.
Content providers have to balance the constant
maintenanceofa storagesolutionlikea serverwith
thecost of preserving data that may be touched once
ortwicein a dozenyears.Glassmay be the answer,
butthere’s still work to be done.A close-up of the Project Silica glass