Innovative Data

Research for Lego Crusaders, on Data storage by Maritime

Data storage has come a long way, and there is no doubt that it will keep improving. Data storage is becoming easier, faster, and smaller. Some of the research and development is allowing data to be stored longer, with better quality, and more data stored in less space, not only text data but image data. Here are some ways companies are making it better.

If you store data (pictures, videos, or documents) on a basic CD or DVD you may think the data is safe and you can retrieve them from it. But CDs and DVDs don’t keep data safe because the file gets corrupt after 3-5 years. Discs go bad for many different reasons. There is a new disc made by the company Millenniata (located in Springville Utah), that looks like a regular DVD called Millennial Disc, but is made of layers of “persistent” materials, built up on a plastic material. Then information is carved on the disc with a laser. The disc can be read on your computer like any other disc. This disc can store data at room temperature safely for 1,000 years.

General Electric (GE) is still working on a disc that can store of 500 gigabytes of data. This disc uses holography technology to store that much data. Data is encoded in light patterns that are stored in light sensitive materials. The holograms can be viewed because they work like microscopic mirrors when hit with a laser. Money is the main issue with this product, and GE is predicting that the main buyers will be movie makers, doctors/hospitals, and TV networks.

Researchers have come up with a way to store large amounts of data on a nano sized unit. This is unique because it is vary compact and lasts a long time. The research was done by the US Department of Energy.

Of all the above ideas and products, my favorite is Mallenniata’s new disc the Millennial . All those ideas are great, and hopefully will be a great product in a few years.

Local Georgia Interest:
Despite what you might think, most of the energy used by large data centers is not used for powering the equipment, but for keeping it at a cool temperature. Georgia Tech is working in a research area to test different ways to cool data centers by rearranging equipment so there is more air flow around equipment so that the room cools down faster. Also, they are trying to find ways to utilize the waste heat from the data centers.


Sources:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/18/millenniatas-millennial-disk-should-last-longer-than-you-your/

http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/09/researchers-create-nanotube-memory-that-can-store-data-for-a-bil/

http://heraldextra.com/news/local/article_b25c9a30-7242-11de-9feb-001cc4c03286.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/technology/business-computing/27disk.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2009/06/03/billion-year-ultra-dense-memory-chip/

http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?id=2992