Revolutionary Ceramic Data Storage System Redefines Future Storage Technology


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – German company Cerabyte recently tested a prototype of its own data storage system using ceramic media, potentially heralding a shift away from traditional HDDs and SSDs in data centers by 2030.

According to Techradar, this revolutionary system boasts a capability of storing up to 10,000 TB of data on palm-sized micro-layered hard glass cartridges, such as Gorilla Glass and Corning, combined with ceramic material.

Differentiating itself from current storage technology, Cerabyte aims to utilize ceramic material fused with glass to create compact cartridges capable of storing vast amounts of data.

The technology employs layers of a specialized ceramic material atop a glass base, creating a 300-micrometer thick surface. This configuration enables data writing at impressive speeds measured in GBps, with an areal density of TB/square-centimeter, far surpassing the density of current HDDs which reach only 0.02TB/square-centimeter.

Recently unveiling a fully operational prototype system, Cerabyte's demo includes a read-write rack for storage accessibility and multiple library racks, all constructed using readily available commercial equipment.

Each cartridge contains a data carrier utilizing a glass layer akin to Corning's Gorilla Glass, along with a thin dark ceramic layer serving as the data storage medium, stored within a robotic library system.

Data writing occurs via two million laser beamlets, creating nano-scale patterns akin to QR codes on the media's surface. This imprinting process represents binary information, meticulously written and verified by a microscopic camera.

Although the initial demonstration unit doesn't compete with top-tier data storage units, Cerabyte plans to scale up its ceramics-based system, promoting it as a cost-effective, fast, and scalable technology for future data storage. Emphasizing its durability, the company asserts its ceramic-based system can last over 5,000 years without energy consumption, unlike traditional hard drives and SSDs that require replacement every few years.