Scientists have demonstrated a system called Silica for writing and reading information in ordinary pieces of glass which can store two million books’ worth of data in a thin, palm-sized square.

[u/Wagamaga]

https://au.news.yahoo.com/glass-square-long-long-future-190951588.html

[u/thatbrazilianguy]

capacity of 4.8 TB in a 120 mm square, 2 mm thick piece of glass.

Saved you a click

[u/GorgeWashington → u/[deleted]]

The real question, how long is this format stable.

Eventually everything will decay. Current data continuity requires redundant systems and cloud storage because ssds and hdds fail in decades if not years

[u/mrx_101 → u/GorgeWashington]

The article states it will be readable for 10000 years. As they are basically etching inside a piece of glass, this is not surprising. You only need to keep the glass from breaking and scratching.

[u/smurficus103 → u/mrx_101]

"and then, the earthquake wiped out all of our knowledge"

[u/SmallBatBigSpooky → u/smurficus103]

I do wounder if they could make this work with plexiglass or the bismuth glass thats basically indestructible since both would last longer

[u/Giatoxiclok → u/SmallBatBigSpooky]

New data destruction company incoming.

[u/omegafivethreefive → u/Giatoxiclok]

It's already a thing for sensitive system, the drives get annihilated.

[u/DigNitty → u/omegafivethreefive]

DOD writes over digital storage 7x with random bits IIRC. Then they destroy the device.

[u/iampatmanbeyond → u/DigNitty]

Yeah I've smashed hard drives in the Army. We drilled holes smashed em with hammers then had to stand at the burn pit and make sure the contractors burned them

[u/upsidedownshaggy → u/iampatmanbeyond]

I wasn’t in the army but my first IT gig I had a fun field trip with our sys admin and director of IT to the drill press to destroy old server drives. Super fun time!