Holographic Storage: Very fast with massive a capacity

If you are aching for more storage space, you won’t have to wait long. Maxell USA and InPhase Technologies have launched the next revolutionary storage technology – holographic media. Even without compression, the storage capacity per disk is 1.6 TeraBytes. That’s 63 times more than a DVD, or 150 million pages, if you are counting. The data rates are up to 120 MBps. That’s damn fast.

The way the data is stored is downright futuristic. Intersecting laser beams store data on 3D hologram images. Hundreds of pages of data can be stored in a single location.

“Combining high storage densities and fast transfer rates with durable, reliable, low cost media, Holographic technology is poised to become a compelling choice for next-generation storage and content distribution needs,” said Liz Murphy, vice president of marketing for InPhase Technologies. “Unlike other technologies that record one data bit at a time, holography allows a million bits of data to be written and read in parallel with a single flash of light. This enables transfer rates significantly higher than current optical storage devices.”

Late in 2006 is when we will see the first generation models. They will have 300GB capacity and a transfer rate of 20MBps.