Scientists Crack the Code: Infinite Data Storage

[Damir]

https://www.msn.com/da-dk/nyheder/other ... dd24&ei=15

From Danish Article, the translation is below..

Scientists Crack the Code: Infinite Data Storage

A breakthrough in data storage could revolutionize the future.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a technology that uses diamonds to store enormous amounts of data, with a storage capacity of 1.85 terabytes per cubic centimeter.

According to the researchers, this method could potentially store data for millions of years.

How the technology works
The new method uses ultrafast laser pulses to create microscopic voids in the diamond.

Each void represents the size of an atom, and their densities determine the brightness of specific areas in the diamond.

By measuring the brightness with a high-tech camera, data can be read with an accuracy of over 99 percent.

A single diamond disc the size of a Blu-ray disc can store up to 100 terabytes of data – the equivalent of 2,000 Blu-ray discs.

While traditional Blu-ray discs only have a lifespan of a few decades, these diamond storage devices could potentially last millions of years, making them extremely attractive for long-term data storage. Dagensps writes.

Practical applications
The technology is not yet commercially available, as it requires expensive and advanced equipment.

However, the researchers predict that the system can be minimized to the size of a microwave oven, which will make it more accessible for use.

Potential users include authorities, research institutions and libraries that need secure long-term storage of large amounts of data.

The future of storage
With previous experiments by Japanese researchers theorizing the storage of up to 25 exabytes of data on one diamond disc, there is great potential in diamond-based data storage.

The future of data storage could be just around the corner – and it’s built on the world’s toughest material.

[Bo Persson]

If I get the calculations right, 1 cubic centimeter would be about 17 carats. At current prices of $1,000 per 0.5 carats, that sounds expensive.

[towforce]

If I get the calculations right, 1 cubic centimeter would be about 17 carats. At current prices of $1,000 per 0.5 carats, that sounds expensive.

If your calculations are correct, it is expensive.

The cubic centimetre would cost $34,000 for the diamond alone, even without the special lasers needed, and provide 1.85 terabyte of storage.

The going rate for a 1 terabyte hard drive is around $40 (but it won't last as long as this new device).

[JohnWoe]

It's not infinite storage obviously. 99% isn't enough. My data that goes in must come out 100% every time. Otherwise what's the point storing if you get junk out. The diamond is cut into disc. Read like HDD. Sounds like too many moving parts technology.

[jefk]

ridiculous title (infinite). and when i see 'could' in articles (eg about physics) i
usually don't read them. but this nevertheless may be interesting.
tforce
there also are artificial (industrial) diamonds ,
and they are much cheaper, especially for the bigger ones

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/how-mu ... riL9shrQ#0

[Dann Corbit]

On the other hand, if we got one of those stars that goes nova and turns into a diamond, we would have quite a hard drive available.
https://www.beeghlyandcompany.com/blogs ... -a-diamond
DeBeers may also be interested.

[hgm]

This sounds like nonsense, because you cannot focus a laser to the size of an atom. Light intensity will always be approximately constant inside an area with the diameter of roughly half a wavelength. Even for UV light that would be around 150 nanometer, while the size of atoms is more like 0.15 nm. So there would be a billion atoms in this volume, with little means to prefer or distinguish one over the other.

[Dann Corbit]

That explains why it is only about 2TB. If they were only affecting one atom, the storage profile would be immense.

My brother in law's father invented something similar a long time ago, based on the technology of dosimetry.
Workers in nuclear plants wear a little crystal that records the impact of any ionizing radiation.
So the idea was to take one of those little crystals and deliberately write on it by focusing a beam of electrons on it (beta radiation).
He achieved 1TB per square centimeter, with plans to expand to 256TB. He has a patent on it from Battelle Northwest Laboratories.
But he never got much interest in the idea and I guess that the patent has expired now.
It was even possible to grind the stuff into paint and irradiate the paint with electrons.

The main problems were:
1. Expensive process to write the data.
2. It was write once, read many rather than read/write.