Project Silica: Data Recording on Crystals, Microsoft's Latest

Many companies need to store data for the long term, and one of the main resources they have is tape backup. However, the volume of information keeps growing at such a pace that the market already demands faster and more robust solutions. Microsoft Research teamed up with Warner Bros. to launch Project Silica, a proof of concept that explores data storage in quartz crystals. What did they choose to store in this experiment? Something very fitting: “Superman”.

We have seen it time and again in science fiction films and series: crystals as data storage units. No matter the color, size, or shape, the only three relevant details are density, resistance, and the impressive access speed. Compared with current storage options, crystals would be a nearly perfect solution… but we have to reach them somehow. The Microsoft Research team, in collaboration with Warner Bros., just took a big first step: Project Silica.

Unlike what happens in an optical disc, the recording process in Project Silica involves a series of “voxels” created in a piece of quartz measuring 75 x 75 x 2 millimeters. Those 2 millimeters of thickness are enough to “burn” more than one hundred layers of voxels using laser pulses at 100-femtosecond intervals. Each voxel has a specific orientation, defined and controlled by the laser’s polarization. It is also possible to alter the “strength” of the voxel by modifying the laser’s power. With a combination of position, orientation, and strength, the final result is a kind of three-dimensional map of voxels.

Reading is done with a computer-controlled microscope and several algorithms, decoding the content as polarized light shines through the crystal. Needless to say, its resistance is formidable: the crystal can be boiled, baked (whether conventional or microwave), submerged, scrubbed, and/or demagnetized without negative consequences for the information inside. Moreover, quartz crystals do not require a temperature- and humidity-controlled space for long-term preservation.

This is very tempting for companies at the level of Warner Bros., with nearly a hundred years of television and film history. Protecting old material and reducing the costs of migrating to new formats are two enormous goals, and Warner representatives also speak of “cultural responsibility.” An original negative stored in proper conditions can last for hundreds of years, but time has already taken too many films, and the idea is to prevent that from happening again.

What does it all mean? Project Silica is not for the end user. It is for the cloud and other WORM (Write-Once-Read-Many) environments that need to access faithful copies without later modifications. The proof of concept was a success, and having chosen “Superman” (a hefty 75.6 gigabytes!) in this proof of concept confirms Kryptonian technology as a source of inspiration.

**Official announcement:** Click here