- CATALOG is collaborating with Seagate to develop smaller DNA storage devices, which are currently way too big.
- Seagate’s lab-on-a-chip technology is a key component to shrink the DNA-based storage devices, according to CATALOG.
- DNA-based storage devices can become widespread in the next decade when they get smaller to fit into tiny devices.
One of the biggest mechanical harddisk driver companies, Seagate, has been preparing for the time that HDDs become obsolete by bringing efforts into SSD technology as well. Currently, it looks like HDDs will not become obsolete anytime soon and the company is investing in other new storage technologies as well.
More storage required
The data that companies and organizations gather grows exponentially every year and HDDs are now taking up too much space in server rooms. In our previous articles, we have also mentioned that in some growth scenarios, HDD companies might not be able to keep up with the demand by 2030. One of the under-development technologies, DNA-based storage, can solve this problem.
CATALOG, a company that focuses on developing DNA-based storage systems have announced that they are collaborating with Seagate. This collaboration is aiming to accelerate the development of smaller-sized DNA platforms. Currently, DNA storage technology allows storing 215 petabytes of data in just one gram. However, the device that is capable of storing and reading data on DNA is huge. You can see its size relative to a human in the image below:
CATALOG’s DNA storage device, which is named Shannon, is currently huge; just like the first room-filling computers. While Shannon is actually a prototype, CATALOG expects it to be shrunk up to 1,000 times by their partnership with Seagate; just like the computers now we carry in our pockets.
The company aims to begin mass production of smaller DNA-based storage devices in the next decade. For this aim, Seagate currently has a key technology named lab-on-a-chip that will greatly help in the development of smaller devices. Hyunjun Park, founding CEO of CATALOG said;
« Collaborating with an industry leader like Seagate will help speed our ability to advance DNA storage. In addition to DNA storage, CATALOG has already discovered the means to incorporate DNA into algorithms and applications with potential widespread cases including artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, and secure computing. This work with Seagate is essential to eventually lowering costs and reducing the complexity of storage systems. »