One of the most pressing climate issues we are facing is the vast amounts of energy used by data centers. This new technology claims to have a solution. 

Data centers currently account for around 1.5% of global electricity demand, and that number is only projected to rise in the coming years. This, especially in the age AI, is posing a huge risk to our climate (as we previously covered here). The vast majority of data demands come from “cold data,” things like photo backups and legal documents, which can take days to access. For the most part, this data is stored on hard drives in giant data centers. 

However, new “memory crystals” seem to be a solution. This technology leverages the properties of light to achieve high density storage. By burning small perforations into glass, data can be stored and read easily and effectively. By adjusting the light strength, orientation, and position in three dimensions, the data is encoded in 5 dimensions. In theory, a 5-inch plate can hold up to 360 terabytes and will essentially last forever.  

These plates are made of durable fused silica glass, with prototypes predicted to roll out in some data centers over the next couple years. Despite this, the technology is not expected to provide an immediate solution for data storage. The “memory crystals” are still being developed and improved, and the problem of compatibility with current infrastructure is resulting in tremendous adoption barriers. 

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