Optera Data wants to replace LTO tape with an archival disc solution that is 10x cheaper than rivals

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New optical tech could slash archival costs by 10x or even more
Optera Data’s discs could hit 10TB for just $1 - cheaper than tape!
The low-power, high-density storage has data centers in mind

A team led by Dr. Nicolas Riesen at the University of South Australia has come up with a new optical storage technology that could potentially slash archival storage costs by a factor of ten, compared to current optical solutions.

As reported by Blocks & Files, this method relies on manipulating fluorescence in wavebands at specific recording areas, enabling multi-bit storage that’s similar to NAND flash technology.

The process involves selectively altering the fluorescence properties of nanoparticles within the recording medium, using laser energy to create "spectral holes" where the emission is reduced. This variation in light emission encodes data in multiple levels, potentially allowing for high-density storage. The nanoparticles, composed of hexagonal silicon carbide (SiC) crystals doped with vanadium, reportedly react to laser exposure in ways that affect their light emission characteristics. These alterations can be identified during the read process, allowing data to be retrieved.

$1 per terabyte

Founded by entrepreneur Geoff Macleod-Smith, Optera Data is currently working to commercialize the technology. The startup foresees optical discs capable of high-density archival storage, with a focus on offline security and long-term data preservation. Writing data would involve tuning lasers to set spectral frequencies, while reading would rely on detecting fluorescence patterns.

A whitepaper by Tom Coughlin, available to read on the Optera Data site, projects that overall storage capacity shipments will grow five-fold between 2024 and 2029, with much of this data residing in secondary or archival storage. Traditional hard drives, tape, and other emerging optical solutions are competing for this expanding market, where longevity and energy efficiency are prime factors.

Optera Data claims that, once developed, its technology could achieve a total cost of ownership as low as $1 per terabyte, far below the projected costs of other storage media.

The company hopes to manufacture 1TB discs in the short term, with the ambitious goal of hitting 10TB for $1 by the end of the decade. This price point would make it significantly cheaper than solutions from the likes of Cerabyte, and it could even potentially undercut magnetic tape storage, which is projected to fall below $2.50 per terabyte by 2029.

Unlike hard drives, which require continuous power, and magnetic tape, which depends on specialized library systems, Optera Data’s approach could integrate with existing optical disc formats. This compatibility could help with the tech’s adoption in data centers where reducing energy consumption and storage costs is a big focus for hyperscalers right now.

The viability of the technology will of course depend on its ability to meet storage density requirements and compete with evolving alternatives such as synthetic DNA storage, which offers long-term stability but is still a way off being ready for prime time.

Wayne Williams is a freelancer writing news for TechRadar Pro. He has been writing about computers, technology, and the web for 30 years. In that time he wrote for most of the UK’s PC magazines, and launched, edited and published a number of them too.