5D glass memory promises to last 13.8 billion years and store 360 ​​TB on a 5-inch disk

A glass-based storage technology is beginning to leave the experimental field and get closer to real applications in Data Centers. Developed from research at the University of Southampton, in the United Kingdom, the so-called 5D glass memory promises a rare combination: extremely high density, durability estimated at billions of years and data retention without energy consumption.

The most recent initiative comes from SPhotonixa startup founded in 2024, which claims to have reached a sufficient technical stage to start pilot projects aimed at archiving cold data, those that are accessed infrequently but that need to be preserved for decades or centuries.

What is 5D glass memory

Unlike hard drives, magnetic tapes or SSDs, 5D memory uses fused silica glass as a physical medium. Data is recorded inside the material using femtosecond laserscapable of creating extremely precise nanostructures.

The term “5D” refers to five dimensions used to encode information: three spatial coordinates (x, y and z), in addition to the guidance and from optical intensity of these microscopic structures.

Reading takes place using optical systems and polarized light, which interpret the internal changes in the glass.

Storage capacity and scale

According to SPhotonix, a single glass disc of about 5 inches can store up to 360 TeraBytes of dataa value that easily surpasses the capacity of traditional optical media and is close to large corporate solutions.

This level of density places the technology as a candidate to replace or complement LTO fits and other systems used in robotic archiving libraries, mainly in sectors that accumulate large volumes of historical data, such as science, government, healthcare and the audiovisual industry.

Durability estimated on a cosmological scale

One of the most striking points of glass memory is its theoretical longevity. Accelerated aging tests indicate that the material can preserve data for up to 13.8 billion yearsa value equivalent to the estimated age of the universe.

In practice, this means extreme resistance to heat, radiation, electromagnetic fields and humidity, as long as the disc does not suffer direct physical damage. Since storage is purely passive, no power is required to keep data intacta characteristic that is especially relevant in times of pressure to reduce energy costs in data centers.

Speed ​​is still the main challenge

Despite the advantages in durability and density, performance is still far from conventional solutions. Current prototypes operate with recording around 4 MB/s e reading close to 30 MB/smodest numbers when compared to corporate HDDs or SSDs.

The company claims to have a technical roadmap that aims sustained speeds of up to 500 MB/s over a period of three to four years, which will require advances in both optics and parallelization of the reading and writing processes.

Costs, maturity and next steps

The first commercial systems must have high prices. Initial estimates point to around $30,000 worth of recording equipment e $6,000 for readerswith more compact versions aimed at field use scheduled for around 18 months.

Currently, technology is between levels TRL 5 and TRL 6classification used to measure technological maturity. This means the focus is now on validation outside the laboratoryin environments that simulate or reproduce real operating conditions in data centers.

A vision shared by the sector

SPhotonix is ​​not alone in this race. Microsoft is researching similar solutions in Project Silicawhile other companies focus on ceramics or even storage in synthetic DNA. The British startup’s difference lies in its license the media and optical platforminstead of creating a closed storage service.

During recent interviews, company representatives made it clear that the ambition is to fit the technology into existing architectures, allowing data center operators to adopt glass as another long-term archiving layer, without overhauling the entire infrastructure.

We are talking about a medium that can cross geological eras without measurable degradation, something that completely changes the logic of digital preservation

Where this technology really makes sense

5D glass memory was designed to cold datascenarios in which access can take seconds or even tens of seconds without operational loss. Legal files, scientific records, cultural collections, regulatory backups and historical data fall into this profile.

It is unlikely to replace SSDs or hard drives in intensive workloads, but it can drastically reduce the dependence on periodic media migrations, a common practice today to avoid degradation of tapes and disks over time.

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When time stops being a problem

If the technology delivers on what it promises in upcoming tests in data centers, glass memory ushers in a conceptual change in digital storage: data begins to be preserved on a time scale that goes beyond human generations, technological cycles and even civilizations.

The question that arises is no longer how long the hardware can last, but who and how will be able to read this information in the distant future. In this sense, the challenge is no longer just technical and also touches on cultural preservation, open standards and continuity of human knowledge.

Fonte: The Register