Glass and ceramic. These two materials are key components of the new storage system presented by the German company Cerabyte. Apart from promising huge capacity, the device is said to be eco-friendly and above all, sustainable. The company expects its service life to be 5,000 years. In the era of Big Data, huge amounts of data are being generated to satisfy our insatiable thirst for information. For example, gambling online generates a huge amount of data. A website link to an online casino can transform raw data into valuable information by providing players with real-time statistics and insights on their gaming activities.
This explosion of data means that astronomical amounts of information need to be stored efficiently. It is against this backdrop that Cerabyte, a German startup, presents its revolutionary storage solution.
The system, still in the prototype stage, is based on a glass and ceramic architecture. Cerabyte describes it as “the ideal solution for more than 70% of the data stored in data centers.” The company is referring in particular to data that is never used but nevertheless remains stored for decades on media that constantly consumes energy. Moreover, due to their short lifespan, these media must be replaced frequently.
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In a recent video showing off a prototype, the company showed that its technology works. It now plans to release cartridges capable of storing up to 10,000 terabits of data by 2030. Cerabyte also claims that its storage device has an unprecedented lifespan. And is capable of storing data for 5,000 years. In a world where the durability of storage media is constantly questioned, this is quite an achievement.
Robotic Library
The Cerabyte system prototype consists of a single read-write rack. This is a device that can both write data to a medium and read it later. In addition, the system includes several cartridges for storing data in racks, forming a kind of robotic library. This library is equipped with an automatic mechanism that moves the cartridges into the read/write rack so that they can be read or receive new data. When the cartridge is moved into the read-write rack, it opens to expose the media. In data logging—the process of recording information—the system uses millions of laser beams to create nanometric patterns on the media.
The structure of the inscriptions resembles a QR code, but, of course, on a much smaller scale. The digital micromirror device adjusts the laser beams with extreme precision. The patterns are created by forming small holes in the surface of the ceramic layer. The engraved pattern represents data in binary format.
After recording, the recording medium is checked by a microscopic camera as it is returned to its original position, ensuring the accuracy of the recording. Once the data is verified, the media is placed back into the cartridge. Then, returned to the robotic library for storage.
Several Benefits
Each palm-sized cartridge consists of a glass base coated with ceramic nanolayers. This unique composition gives the technology exceptional resistance to extreme conditions. In particular, the system can withstand temperatures from -273 °C to 300 °C,. But also sudden and significant temperature changes. This resilience makes Cerabyte technology an ideal candidate for long-term data storage. It has an expected lifespan of more than 5,000 years.
In addition to its long service life, this product has a reduced environmental impact. It promises to reduce CO2 emissions by 99% compared to conventional cloud storage. That offers a greener alternative to existing storage systems. From an economic perspective, Cerabyte reduces overall data center costs by 75%. Durability, low cost and low carbon footprint all indicate that Cerabyte technology will be a real revolution in the field of data storage.
