Microsoft team creates 'revolutionary' data storage system that lasts millennia
Microsoft's Project Silica unveils a data storage system etched into glass, promising to preserve information for millennia, a truly groundbreaking achievement in archival technology. While the prospect of 10,000-year data retention excites, Hacker News delves into the practicalities, scrutinizing its glacial write speeds and the perennial challenge of future hardware compatibility. It's a fascinating look at the bleeding edge of data preservation, tempered by real-world engineering concerns.
The Lowdown
Microsoft's Project Silica project has revealed what it describes as a "revolutionary" data storage system capable of preserving information for thousands of years. This innovation addresses the growing need for ultra-long-term data archival solutions.
- The technology involves writing data using lasers into fused quartz glass media.
- It boasts an estimated lifespan of 10,000 years, even when subjected to temperatures of 290°C.
- Each 120mm x 120mm glass medium can store approximately 4.8 terabytes (TB) of data.
- The Nature article highlights its potential to solve the challenges of digital preservation for institutions like archives and libraries.
While the promise of near-immortal data storage is compelling, the technical specifications and real-world implications, particularly regarding write speeds and future readability, are points of active discussion among experts.
The Gossip
Speedy Specs Scrutiny
Commenters quickly performed calculations, noting that the reported write speeds for the MS-Glass system (25.6-65.9 Mbit/s) are significantly slower than existing technologies like Blu-ray. This translates to several days to write a full 4.8TB medium, leading many to question its practicality for anything other than extremely cold, long-term archival where speed is not a primary concern. The absence of read speed data was also highlighted as a critical missing piece of information.
Longevity Leaps and Logic
The astonishing 10,000-year lifespan claim sparked debate, especially regarding the testing conditions. Commenters noted that the lifespan is extrapolated from tests at very high temperatures (440°C and above), with the 10,000-year figure cited at 290°C. While some found this extrapolation reasonable for thermal decay, others humorously suggested that for true millennia-robust storage, we might be better off reverting to ancient methods like painting on pyramid walls, emphasizing the inevitable obsolescence of reading hardware over such vast timescales.
Proprietary Predicaments & Platform Ponderings
A common Hacker News concern emerged: the potential for vendor lock-in. Commenters speculated whether Microsoft would heavily patent the technology, making it impossible for others to produce compatible burners or media, thus creating a closed ecosystem. One comment succinctly and humorously captured the community's spirit by asking the vital question: 'Will it run on Linux?'