Microsoft’s DNA storage breakthrough

In collaboration with the University of Washington’s Molecular Information Systems Laboratory (MISL), Microsoft has announced the first nanoscale DNA storage writer.

According to a Gizmodo report, the breakthrough is the first indication of achieving the write speeds needed for DNA storage.

Microsoft and the MISL announced the breakthrough in a research paper, indicating that the technology should scale to a DNA write density of 25 x 10⁶ sequences per square centimetre.

This write density is 1,000x tighter than before.

Microsoft has been working on DNA data storage technologies to give it an advantage over its competition. These promise exceptional density, life span, and sustainability.

According to Gizmodo, DNA’s density is capable of storing 1 exabyte (1 billion gigabytes) per square inch — equivalent to approximately 155 million gigabytes per square centimetre.

The International Data Corporation expects data storage requirements will reach nine zettabytes (nine trillion gigabytes) by 2024.

According to Microsoft, one zettabyte of storage space is equivalent to installing Windows 11 on 15 billion PCs.

Comparatively, nine zettabytes of information could be stored in an area as small as a fridge if DNA storage was used.

Another benefit of DNA storage is its life span. Linear Type-Open magnetic tape can suffer data loss within 30 years, and this occurs fasters in HDDs and SSDs.

Data stored in DNA can last thousands of years.

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