Microsoft Project Silica storage in glass for 10000 years

Microsoft and other data center companies are racing to develop new methods for storing massive amounts of data on non-volatile media. Redmond is pursuing a technology based on glass and 3D pixels. This technology has recently made significant progress thanks to the latest research discoveries.

Microsoft has been developing Project Silica for years, turning glass into a permanent storage medium capable of retaining digital data for up to 10.000 years. The company recently reported on its latest developments, including significant improvements in cost, performance, and storage complexity.

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Project Silica now stores data using femtosecond lasers in common borosilicate glass, which is cheaper and more abundant than the previously used fused silicon. Redmond describes borosilicate as a low-cost, readily available material that is already used in glass cookware and oven doors.

According to the company , this new material addresses one of the main obstacles to commercializing Project Silica by improving both the cost and availability of the storage medium. The updated technique allows data to be stored in hundreds of layers on the glass, with each layer being just 2mm deep.

Compared to previous versions, the system now requires only one camera instead of three or four, reducing assembly costs and complexity. The input/output system is smaller, cheaper to produce, and includes fewer components, minimizing manufacturing and calibration challenges.

Microsoft has also improved its voxel-based recording method. Data structures can now be recorded with fewer laser pulses, while a machine learning model separates real data from interference. By combining a mathematical model with thermally assisted recording, the system has achieved significant gains in data density.

The company is rigorously testing Project Silica to assess its long-term data retention capabilities. According to the latest durability experiments, the technology can reliably preserve information for 10.000 years – and potentially even longer.

Redmond says that Project Silica will be able to store images, audio, music and spoken languages ​​– essentially preserving all elements of human culture for millennia. While Microsoft says the research phase is now “complete,” there’s no indication that the technology will move to commercialization anytime soon.

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