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New DNA Storage Could Hold All Your Data

Using nature’s hard drive

By Sascha Brodsky Sascha Brodsky Senior Tech Reporter Macalester College Columbia University Sascha Brodsky is a freelance journalist based in New York City. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times and many other publications. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on December 14, 2021 12:22PM EST Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Western Kentucky University Gulf Coast Community College Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Smart & Connected Life Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming

Key Takeaways

Recent breakthroughs could allow the use of DNA to store vast amounts of data for long periods. One expert said DNA storage technology could hold more than 50,000 times as much information as a microSD memory card in the same amount of space. But DNA storage faces engineering obstacles before it’s commercially feasible. janiecbros / Getty Images You might soon be able to store your data using DNA. The field of DNA information storage is rapidly accelerating with recent announcements of breakthroughs by researchers in the United States and China. Experts say that DNA offers the potential to pack more information into a smaller space than conventional drives. "You can think of your one terabyte microSD memory card; it weighs about 250 milligrams," Hieu Bui, a professor who studies DNA computing at The Catholic University of America, told Lifewire in an email interview. "The same weighted DNA storage material could hold 53,000 times more data than that of the microSD card, and you probably don't have to buy another memory card for a long time."

A Natural Hard Drive

The idea of storing information in DNA, the molecule composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix carrying genetic instructions, has been around for decades but has been hampered by technical problems. In the research paper, Microsoft announced the first nanoscale DNA storage writer. The researchers said they could reach a DNA write density of 25 x 10^6 sequences per square centimeter, which approaches the minimum write speeds required for DNA storage. "A natural next step is to embed digital logic in the chip to allow individual control of millions of electrode spots to write kilobytes per second of data in DNA," the Microsoft researchers wrote in a blog post. "From there, we foresee the technology reaching arrays containing billions of electrodes capable of storing megabytes per second of data in DNA." Chinese researchers also recently announced a DNA storage breakthrough. Unlike other approaches that store information on a long ribbon, the researcher split the content into sequences and kept these on different electrodes. And scientists at Georgia Tech Research Institute said recently that they had made advances toward the goal of a new microchip able to grow DNA strands that could provide high-density 3D archival data storage at ultra-low-cost and be able to hold that information for hundreds of years. "We've been able to show that it's possible to grow DNA to the sort of length that we want, and at about the feature size that we care about using these chips," Nicholas Guise, one of the researchers, said in the news release. "The goal is to grow millions of unique, independent sequences across the chip from these microwells, with each serving as a tiny electrochemical bioreactor.

More Data Less Space

DNA could revolutionize data storage, but it's not clear when you'll use the technology in your gadgets. Anthony Harvie / Getty Images "In the future, users could expect DNA storage systems to hold a vast amount of information, occupy far less space, consume a small amount of green energy, and retain digital data beyond the owner's lifetime," Bui said. But it's unlikely that the average user will benefit from DNA data storage anytime soon, data strategist Nick Heudecker told Lifewire in an email interview. He said the technology could be ideal for storing massive amounts of data over very long periods. This kind of archival storage would be helpful for organizations like the Library of Congress or the intelligence community rather than on a laptop. "Right now, individuals using DNA for data storage are typically gimmicks, like storing your bitcoin wallet passcode as DNA so you can't lose it," Heudecker said. "Over time, you could see enterprises using cloud-based DNA data storage to off-load their most valuable, but least frequently accessed, data to DNA, but that's 5-10 years out at a minimum." DNA storage also faces engineering obstacles before it's commercially feasible. Costs are high, and speeds are slow, Heudecker said. The process of using DNA for storage is also very complex. "Unlike today's data storage, DNA' disk drives' run on chemicals and fluidics," Heudecker said. "They look more like a lab experiment, with tubes and pumps, than a computer." Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire 21 Things You Didn't Know About Hard Drives 6G: What It Is & When to Expect It 9 Things to Consider Before Buying a Dash Cam How to Remove Motorola Droid 2 Back Cover What Is a Hard Disk Drive? FNA File (What It Is and How to Open One) The 21 Best Free Data Recovery Software Tools (Oct. 2022) The Best Ways to Store Digital Photographs Terabytes, Gigabytes, & Petabytes: How Big Are They? How to Increase Storage on Nintendo Switch What Is Local Backup? Death of the Computer Optical Drive Windows Registry (What It Is and How to Use It) The 7 Best Dash Cams of 2022 How to Buy Storage on iPhone How to Move Apps to an SD Card on Android Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies