Quantum Joins DNA Storage Alliance
To help advance use of DNA for archiving
Quantum Corp. joined the DNA Storage Alliance to support the ongoing growth and development of the future DNA storage market.
The company has built larg digital archives, including those for the biggest hyperscale cloud providers and organizations that need to securely retain data indefinitely. This move signals its commitment to establish the foundations for a commercial archival storage ecosystem for the growth of valuable digital data. Firm’s digital archive experience and expertise will help the alliance advance the use of DNA storage to solve the challenges of preserving valuable digital data for centuries.
The need to preserve digital data indefinitely
DNA offers the potential to transform storage, providing a stable medium that’s durable for up to thousands of years. It’s dense with a volume the size of a single grain of salt having a potential capacity for 10 full-length digital movies. DNA storage could also enable a forever format that will never become obsolete, no longer requiring customers to migrate to next gens of a technology. As such, it’s estimated that 30% of digital businesses will mandate DNA storage trials by 2024, addressing the exponential growth of data poised to overwhelm existing storage technology.
Established in October 2020, the alliance aims to drive awareness and adoption of DNA storage through use cases and the development of an industrial roadmap. As a member, Quantum joins a diverse group that each contribute expertise on an aspect of synthetic biology and storage and support the organization’s mission by contributing to white papers, events and technical discussions.
“With digital data now so central to the success of business, research, and other practices, there is an emerging realization that a massive amount of data will need to be kept indefinitely,” said Don Doerner, technical director, office of the CTO. “DNA storage holds great promise in addressing this challenge in the coming decades and we believe we can add a valuable perspective to help the DNA Storage Alliance achieve its goals.“