SPhotonix 5D memory crystal: cold storage lasts 14B years

"The 5D Memory Crystal stores data by using tiny voxels - 3D pixels - in fused silica glass, etched by femtosecond laser pulses. These voxels possess "birefringence," meaning that their light refraction characteristics vary depending upon the polarization and direction of incoming light. That difference in light orientation and strength can be read in conjunction with the voxel's location (x, y, z coordinates), allowing data to be encoded in five dimensional space."

"And because the medium is silica crystal, similar to optical cable, it's highly durable. It's also capacious: The technology can store up to 360 TB of data on a 5-inch glass platter. SPhotonix, a company formed last year to commercialize the technology, estimates that even at 190 degrees Celsius, voxels cut in silica crystal should last 13.8 billion years, the estimated age of the universe, barring some mishap - which seems inevitable at that time scale."

"While none of us will be around to verify that claim, silica crystal is vastly more stable than magnetic or electronic methods of data storage. Even alternative optical storage technologies like optical discs are only expected to last 5 to 100 years, though M-DISC advertises a lifespan of 1,000 years. SPhotonix was co-founded in 2024 by Peter Kazansky, professor in optoelectronics at the University of Southampton, and his son Ilya, an entrepreneur who was co-founder and CTO of Statiq, among other technology leadership roles."

The 5D Memory Crystal encodes information using tiny voxels—three-dimensional pixels—etched into fused silica glass by femtosecond laser pulses. Each voxel exhibits birefringence, so data is read from polarization-dependent refraction combined with voxel x, y, z coordinates, creating five-dimensional storage. A 5-inch glass platter can hold up to 360 TB. Silica crystal offers extreme thermal and chemical stability, with company estimates suggesting voxel longevity on the order of the universe's age under elevated temperatures. SPhotonix, founded in 2024 to commercialize the technology, raised $4.5 million to advance the system from TRL 5 to TRL 6 for data center deployment.

Read at Theregister