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Scientists develop a 125 TB optical disc, may revive the obsolete storage technology
It’s the equivalent of 1250 triple-layer Ultra HD Blu-ray discs
3 min. read
Published onMarch 14, 2024
published onMarch 14, 2024
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In a significant development in the tech world, scientists from China have devised a new technology that will allow optical discs to store data in the petabit range, close to 125 GB. The innovation may rekindle our interest in optical disks, a storage medium now primarily limited to gaming.
Optical disks were a popular storage option until two decades ago. Since then, the costs ofUSB drivesandexternal hard diskshave come down, making these two the preferred forms of storage. Besides, optical disks were rather fragile and prone to scratches, another factor that went against it.
Science behind the 125 TB optical disk
Scientists from China published anarticle inNaturetitled,A 3D nanoscale optical disk memory with petabit capacity, which explained the scientific principles behind the high-capacity storage medium.
It usesdye-doped photoresist with aggregation-induced emission luminogensorAIE-DDPR, a newly developed material with a high areal density (storage capacity per unit area), and is roughly24times faster than advanced high-speed hard drives.
As per scientists, the process of manufacturingAIE-DDPRis similar to that of conventional CDs or DVDs. TheAIE-DDPRoptical discs feature a double-sided design with 100 layers on both sides. Since each layer is unbelievably thin, the distance between any two is just1 micrometer.
To quote the scientists,
Scope of the optical disk in personal and industrial use
Researchers working on the technology claim that it would help develop exabit-level data centers in closed spaces and reduce the area and cost requirements. Besides, withAIE-DDPR, optical discs have an increased life span of 50-100 years, thus negating the need for data migration and cloud storage.
To boost commercial viability, scientists are working on improving the read and write speed by using more precise laser beams. It will take some time before we have a refined version of the 125 TB optical disc, which finds application at home and in the industrial setup.
Many modern-day laptops don’t feature a built-in drive, but you can always get anexternal optical disc driveto access data on a CD/DVD.
What would you choose between a 125 TB optical disc and an external hard disk? Share with our readers in the comments section.
More about the topics:cd rom,DVD,storage
Kazim Ali Alvi
Windows Hardware Expert
Kazim has always been fond of technology, be it scrolling through the settings on his iPhone, Android device, or Windows PC. He’s specialized in hardware devices, always ready to remove a screw or two to find out the real cause of a problem.
Long-time Windows user, Kazim is ready to provide a solution for your every software & hardware error on Windows 11, Windows 10 and any previous iteration. He’s also one of our experts in Networking & Security.
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Kazim Ali Alvi
Windows Hardware Expert
Kazim is specialized in hardware devices, always ready to remove a screw or two to find out the real cause of a problem.
