Revolutionary DVD-Sized Disc Stores 1.6 Petabits: A Game-Changer for Data Centers

Scientists at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, led by Professor Min Gu, have developed a DVD-sized disc that can store up to 1.6 petabits of data, equivalent to 1.6 million gigabits. This is 4,000 times the data density of a Blu-ray disc and 24 times that of the most advanced hard disks. The technology uses ultrahigh-density optical data storage, encoding data on 100 layers in optical discs. The team used a novel light-sensitive material, AIE-DDPR, and a pair of lasers to write and read the data. The process is compatible with conventional DVD production.

Revolutionary Optical Data Storage Technology

Scientists in China have developed a groundbreaking optical data storage technology that can store data in three dimensions, significantly increasing the storage capacity of a disc. This novel disc, roughly the size of a DVD, can hold over 1 million gigabits of data, equivalent to the amount of data transmitted per second over the entire world’s internet. This is achieved by storing data on 100 layers in optical discs, with data recorded using spots as small as 54 nanometers wide, approximately a tenth of the size of the wavelengths of visible light used to read and write the data.

Overcoming Previous Limitations

Previously, the amount of data that optical discs could hold was limited, as data was usually stored in a single layer. Scientists had explored the possibility of encoding data on optical discs in multiple layers in three dimensions to increase their capacity. However, a significant obstacle was that the optics used to read and write this data were restricted to roughly the size of the wavelengths of light they used. The new technology developed by the Chinese scientists overcomes this limitation, enabling the storage of data on 100 layers in optical discs.

Implications for Data Centers

The new disc has a capacity of up to 1.6 petabits, or 1.6 million gigabits. This is approximately 4,000 times the data density of a Blu-ray disc and 24 times that of the most advanced hard disks currently available. The researchers suggest that their new optical disc could enable a data center capable of exabit storage, or a billion gigabits, to fit inside a room instead of a stadium-sized space. “The use of ultrahigh-density optical data storage technology in big data centers is now possible,” says Min Gu, professor of optical-electrical and computer engineering at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.

The Technology Behind the Breakthrough

The researchers used a pair of lasers to write the data. The first, a green 515-nanometer laser, triggers spot formation, while the second, a red 639-nm laser, switches off the writing process. By controlling the time between firing of the lasers, the scientists could produce spots smaller than the wavelengths of light used to create them. To read the data, the researchers again used a pair of lasers. The first, a blue 480-nm beam, can make spots fluoresce, while the second, an orange 592-nm light, switches off the fluorescence process. Precise control over the firing of these lasers can single out which specific nanometer-scale spot ends up fluorescing.

Future Developments and Applications

The researchers are currently working on improving the writing speed and energy consumption of their new method. They believe this may be possible using new, more energy-efficient recording materials. They also suggest that more layers in each disc may be possible in the future, using better lenses and fewer aberrations in their optics. The scientists detailed their findings online on 21 February in the journal Nature.