Traditional storage has a limited lifetime
Scientists invent memory storage good for a billion years
/v3-uk/news/1954000/scientists-invent-memory-storage-billion
27 May 2009, Iain Thomson , V3
Scientists are reporting successful tests of a new memory device that could allow terabytes of data to be stored without corruption for a billion years.
The device is an iron nano-particle that measures 1/50,000th of the width of a human hair, enclosed in a hollow carbon nano-tube. The iron can be shuttled back and forth within the tube as a way to store data.
The team claimed that it is possible to build storage devices capable of carrying 1TB of information per square inch, making it more effective than current techniques. The data will also be almost incorruptible, and should remain available for a billion years or more.
Current memory technologies are nowhere near as long lasting. Conventional Flash memory, for instance, usually fails after three to five years.
Alex Zettl, one of the team behind the invention, gave the example of the Doomsday Book, which was written on vellum and has so far lasted over 900 years. The digital version of the book, encoded in 1986, failed in under 20 years.
Details of the device will be published in Nano Letters later this month.
© Incisive Media Investments Limited 2010, Published by Incisive Financial Publishing Limited, Haymarket House, 28-29 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4RX, are companies registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 04252091 & 04252093
Do you agree?
Same hype for CD-ROMS, yet 5 years on and dead
My 3M CD-ROMS cost a packet at the time; 5 years later and the damn things won't play or allow data retrieval.
We've heard it all before.
We are not amused.
Posted by Chris, 27 May 2009
Doomsday?
Very amusing Freudian slip there. I trust that Mr Zetti actually gave the example of the Domesday book...but doomsday seems kinda appropriate in the context..
Posted by Philip, 28 May 2009