- DNA storage provides unprecedented data density compared to conventional tape and disk media.
- Atlas Data Storage uses special DNA synthesis chips for practical archiving.
- Sequencing techniques with built-in error correction mechanisms are used to read DNA data.
After nearly a decade of internal research and commercialization planning, Atlas Data Storage, a spinoff of Twist Bioscience's technology, has outlined a roadmap to create terabyte-scale DNA data storage by 2026.
Atlas Data Storage says its immediate goal is to demonstrate storage density high enough to fit 13 TB of digital data into a volume that can be described as a single drop of water.
It argues that DNA offers a fundamentally different storage profile compared to magnetic tape or disk media.
DNA storage density potential
According to companyDNA storage provides 1000 to 1500 times higher bulk density compared to standard LTO-10 tape cartridges.
According to ChatGPT's calculations, a standard LTO-10 cartridge has external dimensions of 105.4 x 101.6 x 21.6 mm, which gives a volume of approximately 231 cubic centimeters.
This corresponds to a native capacity of 40 TB and a bulk density of about 0.173 TB per cubic centimeter.
Using these values, one drop of water with a volume of approximately 0.05 cm³ can only store about 8.6 GB, while a volume the size of a 1 cm³ sugar cube can hold approximately 173 GB.
Applying the 1,500x increase in density claimed by Atlas, calculations show that a single drop of water with a volume of about 0.05 cm3 could theoretically store about 13 TB of data, and a volume the size of a 1 cm3 sugar cube could hold more than 260 TB.
These numbers illustrate the potential of DNA storage density and show how it can condense data that would otherwise require thousands of LTO-10 cartridges into very small volumes.
However, the numbers depend on assumptions regarding usable capacity, error correction, and replication overhead.
The Atlas data storage system is based on special chips that synthesize DNA strands that encode digital information. This process is called data recording.
Current prototypes are reported to operate at gigabyte scale, and the next generation is expected to achieve terabyte-scale performance.
Reading of stored data is based on sequencing methods optimized for known DNA formats with built-in error correction, allowing for lower costs and faster retrieval than general purpose sequencing.
Atlas Data Storage presents the combination of synthesis and sequencing as a mechanism that enables practical DNA-based archiving rather than a purely theoretical demonstration.
The company says DNA stored in sealed capsules at room temperature can remain readable for thousands of years, with copying done enzymatically rather than mechanically.
This approach eliminates the periodic media renewal cycles required for tape and reduces long-term carbon emissions through minimal cooling needs and reduced material turnover.
While storing 13 TB in a single drop of water corresponds to the theoretical density of DNA, practical deployment will depend on factors such as overhead, redundancy, error rate, and retrieval speed.
Efforts over the last decade have explored the potential of DNA for ultra-dense and long-lasting digital storage beyond the limits of traditional media.
In 2016 Microsoft took an important step purchase of ten million strands of long oligonucleotides from Twist Bioscience experiment with encoding data in DNA.
By 2020, Microsoft, Twist Bioscience and Western Digital had formed an alliance accelerate development in this area.
Although reports suggest that DNA storage may become available in the form of cartridges. by 2030 and address growing data problemsPractical deployment currently remains limited.
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