Hitachi develops Eternal Storage using Bits embedded in Quartz Glass for 2015 Debut – Diamonds are Forever until Wreck-It Ralph Breaks the Ice

“The volume of Data being created every day is exploding, but in terms of keeping it for later generations, we haven't necessarily improved since the days we inscribed things on stones”

Hitachi researcher Kazuyoshi Torii on Monday September 24th 2012, PhysOrg

Worried that those old notes and documents will fade or become damaged in the event of a fire? Probably you’re not so trusting of CD’s, DVD’s or even Blu-Rays which are also prone to the same degradation over time if not properly stored.

In fact, Hitachi of Japan has a novel yet obvious solution; store the Data in its original Binary in Quartz Glass as stated in the article “Data that lives forever is possible: Japan's Hitachi”, published September 24 2012, PhysOrg.

More importantly, this technology, which is the result of joint research between Hitachi and the University of Kyoto since 2009, may be available commercially by 2015 as stated in “Hitachi targets 2015 for Glass-based Data storage that lasts 100 million years”, published September 25, 2012 3:00 PM By Jay Alabaster, IDG News Service, PC World

This folks is really, on the face of it, no more different than the Egyptians writing their documents on Stone Tablets. The difference here is the material used; unless you’re careless with a hammer, Quartz Glass for all intents and purposes is as eternal as stone but much lighter.

Fragility and the cost of Etching the bits with a Laser coupled with slow read-write times makes this very eternal yet fragile Storage format tech in the early stages not yet ready for prime time as noted in “Long way before Hitachi's Glass storage chip realizes potential”, published October 9, 2012 By Ellyne Phneah, ZDNet.

It also represents is a major improvement on the research of Tohoku University in Japan funded by Sony of Japan who’d developed Blu-Ray Discs that had 1TB Capacities as explained in my blog article entitled “Blu-Ray debut of 1TB Storage coming as their popularity ramps up – Denyque Summer love of  Physical Copies”.

The prototype storage media, which is basically a 2 cm (0.8 inches) Quartz Glass square of thickness 2 mm(0.08 inches) thickness, has the following advantages that auger well for its eventual mass adoption:

1.      Chemical Resistant

2.      Waterproof

3.      Fire proof

4.      Heat resistant for about 2 hours at temperatures of up to 1000 degrees Celsius (1,832 Fahrenheit)

5.      Unbreakable, if made from Gorilla Glass

6.      Unaffected by EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) Radio waves

7.      Easily readable and copyable by current and future technologies, as Data is stored in binary

8.      Multi-layered storage, making Data Storage three dimensional

9.      Density of 40 megabytes per square inch possible per layer, which means DVD and Blu-Ray storage capacities are surpassable

10.  Faster Read times, as the Data can be read at once in one pulse of laser passed through the Quartz Glass instead of sequentially accessing the Data typical of CD’s, DVD’s and Blu-ray

So how is it possible to achieve higher information storage densities and boost Read Rates?

Using the same techniques used to design microchips to etch the ones and zeroes of the Data in Binary is one method. Another method is via bombardment with nano-particles of metallic atoms by a particle accelerator. Still expensive but scalable to smaller sizes and easier to make proprietary writing devices, necessary for commercial viability!

Even more interesting is that the Data is Stored in etched marks pits and grooves embedded within the Quartz Glass in a 3D Structure that can be read all at once. Possibly courtesy of using strong Nano-Lasers based on research by Dr. Mercedeh Khajavikhan and her team at the University of California as described in my blog article entitled “University of California Researchers develop 1 micron nanoscale Laser - Optical SCoC Revival of the Apple G4 Cube”.

Whatever method is used, the obvious can be concluded; this method will soon leave Hitachi’s Laboratory and may be utilized by Public and Private Interests internationally as well as in Jamaica with massive amounts of Paper-based Data that they wish to archive permanently, namely:

1.      Governments

2.      Universities and Schools

3.      The Justice System

4.      Researchers

5.      Media i.e. Newspapers, Radio and Television Stations

This technology may even lead to the accelerated development of Optical Computers capable of breaking the 3.6 GHz speed barrier for a Single Core Processor as described my blog article entitled “Intel and LightPeak - Race towards the Sun”. All possible by 2015 when this tech goes commercial!

A replacement for Blu-Rays may really be as simple as improving on the hand-chiseled Tablet Technology of the Egyptians by using Quartz Glass. Hitachi researcher Kazuyoshi Torii essentially proves that Quartz Glass Diamonds Are Forever (1971) until Wreck-It Ralph (2012) Breaks the Ice.