- DNA storage offers unprecedented data density compared to conventional disk and tape media.
- Atlas Data Storage relies on custom chips to synthesize DNA for convenient archiving
- Reading DNA data uses sequencing methods with built-in error correction mechanisms
After nearly ten years of internal research and commercialization planning, Atlas Data Storage, a spin-off company based on Twist Bioscience technology, has outlined a roadmap toward terabyte-scale DNA data storage by 2026.
Atlas Data Storage says its immediate goal is to demonstrate storage densities high enough to fit 13TB of digital data into a volume described as a single drop of water.
He argues that DNA offers a fundamentally different storage profile than magnetic tape or disk-based media.
DNA storage density potential.
According to the company, DNA storage provides a 1,000- to 1,500-fold improvement in volumetric density compared to standard LTO-10 tape cartridges.
According to ChatGPT calculations, a standard LTO-10 cartridge has external dimensions of 105.4 x 101.6 x 21.6 mm, resulting in a volume of approximately 231 cubic centimeters.
This translates to a native capacity of 40 TB and a volumetric density of approximately 0.173 TB per cubic centimeter.
Using these values, a single drop of water, approximately 0.05 cm³, could store only about 8.6 GB, while a volume the size of a 1 cm³ sugar cube could hold approximately 173 GB.
Applying the 1,500-fold density improvement claimed by Atlas, calculations indicate that a single drop of water, approximately 0.05 cm³, could theoretically store around 13 TB of data, and a 1 cm³ sugar cube-sized volume could hold more than 260 TB.
These figures illustrate the density potential of DNA storage and show how it could condense data that would otherwise require thousands of LTO-10 cartridges into very small volumes.
However, the numbers depend on assumptions related to usable volume, error correction, and replication overhead.
The Atlas Data Storage system is based on custom chips that synthesize strands of DNA that encode digital information, a process described as writing data.
Current prototypes reportedly operate at gigabyte scale, while the next generation is expected to reach terabyte scale production.
Readout of stored data is based on sequencing methods optimized for known DNA formats with built-in error correction, allowing for lower cost and faster recovery than general-purpose sequencing.
Atlas Data Storage presents the combination of synthesis and sequencing as the mechanism that enables a practical DNA-based archive rather than a purely theoretical demonstration.
The company claims that DNA stored in sealed capsules at room temperature can remain readable for thousands of years, and copying is done enzymatically rather than mechanically.
This approach avoids the periodic media refresh cycles required by tape and reduces long-term carbon production through minimal cooling needs and reduced material turnover.
Although storing 13 TB in a single drop of water aligns with the theoretical density of DNA, practical implementation will depend on factors such as overhead, redundancy, error rates, and recovery speed.
Efforts over the past decade have explored the potential of DNA for ultra-dense, long-term digital storage beyond the limits of conventional media.
In 2016, Microsoft took a major step by purchasing ten million strands of long oligonucleotides from Twist Bioscience to experiment with encoding data in DNA.
In 2020, Microsoft, Twist Bioscience, and Western Digital had formed an alliance to accelerate development in this area.
Although reports suggest that DNA storage could be available in cartridge form by 2030 and address growing data challenges, practical implementation remains limited at present.
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