Researchers unveil the successor to the 200 terabyte DVD

Chinese researchers have developed an optical drive that can store up to 200 terabytes of data. To this end, data is stored in three dimensions.

Researchers at the University of Shanghai have built an optical drive that can store up to 200 terabytes of data. The disc is similar to a DVD or Blu-Ray disc, but has about 4,000 times the data density. Future DVDs could hold more data than today's most capable hard drives.

To achieve this density, the researchers had to store the data in 3D. They have developed a technology to store data in a hundred layers on disk and believe it will be possible to do more in the future. 3D technology is very popular to improve data storage performance. For example, today's SSDs are based on 3D NAND technology, where the drive's flash cells are stacked. However, for these turbo DVDs, scientists have taken the concept to a new level.

Special material

It wasn't easy: the data is stored in dots only 54 nanometers wide. The data points themselves are therefore much smaller than the wavelength of visible light. The disc itself is made of a special material scientists call AIE-DDPR. This substance reacts differently to different wavelengths. It took ten years before a suitable material was found that would allow reading and writing without losing the stored data.

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The researchers first want to commercialize their new product in data centers. Disc can offer an interesting alternative to tape. Over time, this may also become more widely available. After all, the disc itself is suitable for mass production and is compatible with DVD production processes. We find less clarity regarding the laser complexity of the read-write process.