Technology · 24 February 2026
Cambridge researchers store 4.84 terabytes data in 12 sq cm glass.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a method to store 4.84 terabytes of data - equivalent to roughly two million printed books - inside a 12 square centimetre piece of silica glass. The system works by encoding data as microscopic symbols called voxels using a precision laser. The technology could offer a near-permanent, energy-free alternative to data centres, which currently consume enormous amounts of electricity. Experts in digital heritage have welcomed the breakthrough, though scaling up silica glass supply remains a challenge.
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