破局“全球性存储短缺和涨价危机”：从玻璃到DNA，万年级归档技术如何重塑数据未来
Microsoft can now store data for 10,000 years on everyday glass thanks to laser breakthrough
译文简介
在当前全球 SSD 产能紧张、内存短缺以及数据中心能耗激增的背景下，传统硅基存储介质在寿命（通常仅 5-10 年）、成本及可持续性方面面临严峻挑战。本文深入探讨了三种颠覆性的长期归档存储技术——玻璃存储、陶瓷存储、DNA 存储，旨在为海量数据的“冷存储”提供革命性解决方案。
正文翻译
1.Microsoft's Project Silica Glass Storage Revolution
1.微软代号Project Silica项目的玻璃存储革新
Microsoft can now store data for 10,000 years on everyday glass thanks to laser breakthrough
得益于激光技术的突破，微软现已能够在普通玻璃上存储数据长达10,000年。
Breakthrough improvements to Microsoft's glass-based data-storage technology mean ordinary glassware, such as that used in cookware and oven doors, can store terabytes of data, with the information lasting 10,000 years.
微软以玻璃为基础材料的数据存储技术的突破性改进意味着，普通玻璃器皿（例如用于炊具和烤箱门的玻璃）可以存储数TB级别的数据，且信息可持续保存上万年。
The technology, which has been in development under the "Project Silica" banner since 2019, has seen steady improvements, and scientists outlined the latest innovations today (Feb. 18) in the journal Nature.
这项自2019年以来一直以“Project Silica”为代号进行开发的技术目前正稳步推进，科学家们今天（2026年2月18日）在《自然》杂志上发表了其最新的研究成果。
In the new study, the team showed they could encode data onto ordinary borosilicate glass — a durable, heat-resistant type of glass that's often used in glassware found in most kitchens. Previously, the scientists could only store data on pure fused silica glass, which is expensive to make and available from only a few sources. They also demonstrated several new data-encoding and data-reading techniques.
在这项新研究中，技术团队展示了他们可以将数据编码到普通的硼硅酸盐玻璃上——这是一种坚固、耐热的玻璃类型，通常用于大多数厨房中可见的玻璃器皿。此前，科学家只能将数据存储在纯熔融石英玻璃上，这种玻璃制造昂贵且仅有少数来源可提供。他们还展示了几种新的数据编码和数据读取技术。
"The advance addresses key barriers to commercialization: cost and availability of storage media," study co-author Richard Black, partner research manager at Microsoft, said in a statement. "We have unlocked the science for parallel high-speed writing and developed a technique to permit accelerated aging tests on the written glass, suggesting that the data should remain intact for at least 10,000 years."
“这一进步解决了商业化的关键障碍：存储介质的成本和可用性，”研究共同作者、微软合伙人研究经理Richard Black在一份声明中表示。“我们已经解开了并行高速写入的科学奥秘，并开发了一种技术，允许对写入后的玻璃进行加速老化测试，这表明数据应保持完整至少10,000年。”
The team fitted- 4.8TB of data — equivalent to roughly 200 4K movies — onto 301 layers in a piece of glass measuring 0.08 by 4.72 inches (2 by 120 millimeters) at a writing rate of 3.13 megabytes per second (MB/s). Although that's much slower than the writing speed of hard drives (roughly 160 MB/s) or solid-state drives (roughly 7,000 MB/s), the scientists found that the data could last more than 10,000 years. Most hard drives and solid-state drives, by contrast, last up to about 10 years.
该团队在一块尺寸为0.08乘4.72英寸（2乘120毫米）的玻璃片的301个层级中，以每秒3.13兆字节（MB/s）的写入速率，装入了4.8TB的数据——大约相当于200部4K电影。虽然这比硬盘驱动器（约160 MB/s）或固态硬盘（约7,000 MB/s）的写入速度慢得多，但科学家发现这些数据可以持续超过10,000年。相比之下，大多数硬盘驱动器和固态硬盘的寿命最高约为10年。
To demonstrate this idea, Microsoft scientists previously outlined plans to preserve music in the Global Music Vault in Norway.
为验证这一理念，微软科学家提出将该技术应用于音乐数据保存于挪威“全球音乐金库”的计划上。
Project Silica’s coaster-size glass plates can store data for thousands of years, creating sustainable storage for the world.
Project Silica项目所采用的coaster（注：coaster原意为杯垫，在科技报道中，使用“coaster-size”是一种常用的修辞手法，目的是让读者直观感受到这种能存数TB数据的存储介质其实非常小巧便携。）尺寸玻璃板可将数据保存数千年，为全球提供可持续的存储解决方案。
Storing data on glass might sound futuristic, but it’s a concept that dates back to the 19th century when single photographic negatives were preserved on panes of glass. Fast forward to today, technology has remarkably expanded the storage capabilities of this sustainable material. A small sheet of glass can now hold several terabytes of data, enough to store approximately 1.75 million songs or 13 years’ worth of music.
在玻璃上存储数据听起来颇具未来感，但这一概念实则可追溯至19世纪，当时单张摄影底片即被保存在玻璃板上。时至今日，该技术已使这种可持续材料的存储能力得到极大拓展。如今，一小块玻璃板即可存储数TB级别的数据，足以容纳约175万首歌曲或相当于13年的音乐内容。
Elire, a sustainability-focused venture group, has collaborated with Microsoft Research’s Project Silica team to harness this technology for their Global Music Vault in Svalbard, Norway. Using silica-based glass plates, they’re creating a durable archive that is not only resistant to electromagnetic pulses and extreme temperatures but also environmentally friendly.
Elire是一家专注于可持续发展的风险投资集团，它与微软研究院的Project Silica团队合作，为其位于挪威斯瓦尔巴群岛的全球音乐金库引入该项技术。通过使用二氧化硅基玻璃板，他们正在创建一个耐用的档案库，不仅能抵抗电磁脉冲和极端温度，而且对环境友好。
This vault will complement repositories like the Global Seed Vault and the Arctic World Archive, offering a comprehensive sanctuary for musical heritage—from classical operas to modern hits and indigenous compositions. Looking to the future, Elire plans to expand this enduring musical repository by establishing accessible locations worldwide, inviting the public to interact with this extensive and ever-growing archive.
该数据库将作为全球种子库（Global Seed Vault）和北极世界档案馆（Arctic World Archive）的补充，为从古典歌剧到现代流行乐及原住民作品的音乐遗产提供一个全面的避难所。展望未来，Elire公司计划通过在全范围内建立可访问的地点来扩展这个持久的音乐仓库，邀请公众与这个广泛且不断增长的档案库互动。
Only 5,000 years ago did we start to produce writing. If you think about what it means to store data for 10,000 years, that’s an amazingly long time.
直到5,000年前我们才开始产生文字。如果你思考一下存储数据10,000年意味着什么，那是一段惊人的漫长时间。
Symbiosis in the cloud
Project Silica is focused on pioneering data storage in quartz glass in partnership with the Microsoft Azure team, seeking more sustainable ways to archive data. This relationship is symbiotic, as Project Silica uses Azure AI to decode data stored in glass, making reading and writing faster and allowing more data storage.
数据存储的云端共生
Project Silica致力于与Microsoft Azure（微软推出的公有云服务平台）团队合作，开拓石英玻璃中的数据存储，寻求更可持续的档案数据方式。这种关系是共生的，因为Project Silica使用Azure AI来解码存储在玻璃中的数据，从而加快了读取和写入速度，并允许存储更多数据。
Data is stored in glass via a four-step process: writing with an ultrafast femtosecond laser, reading through a computer-controlled microscope, decoding, and finally, storing in a library. The library is passive, with no electricity in any of the storage units.
数据写入玻璃的过程包含四个步骤：首先使用超快飞秒激光进行写入；其次通过计算机控制的显微镜读取；然后进行解码；最后将玻璃板存入档案库。该档案库为被动式系统，所有存储单元均无需供电。
The complexity is within the robots that charge as they idle inside the lab, awakening when data is needed. They climb the shelves, fetch the glass, and then zip back to the reader. Black says, “Once we finish writing the glass and move it to the library, we design the system so it can never go back to the writer. It’s completely immutable.”
系统的复杂性集中于内部机器人——它们在待机状态下自行充电，仅在需要数据时被唤醒。这些机器人攀爬货架，取出玻璃板，迅速送回读取设备。Black表示：“一旦玻璃板完成写入并移入档案库，系统设计便确保其永不返回写入端，从而实现完全不可篡改。”
Initially, the laser writing process was inefficient, but after years of refinement, the team can now store several TB in a single glass plate that could last 10,000 years. For a sense of scale, each plate could store around 3,500 movies. Or enough non-stop movies to play for over half a year without repeating.
起初，激光写入过程效率低下，但经过多年的改进，该团队现在可以在单块玻璃板上存储数TB级别数据，且可持续保存10,000年。从规模感来说，每块板可以存储大约3,500部电影。或者足够不间断播放半年多而不重复的电影。
Laser-focused on archival storage
In the study, the scientists revealed several discoveries that together resulted in more efficient and cost-effective writing and reading on glass.
聚焦归档存储
在这项研究中，科学家们公布了几项发现，这些发现共同促成了在玻璃上进行更高效、更经济的写入和读取。
First, they detailed advances in a technique called birefringent voxel writing with laser pulses. Birefringence is the phenomenon of double refraction, and voxels are the 3D equivalent of 2D pixels. The scientists developed a pseudo-single pulse — an improvement on the previous two pulses — in which one pulse can split following polarization to form the first pulse for one voxel and the second pulse for another.
首先，他们详细介绍了一种名为双折射体素激光脉冲写入技术的进展。双折射是一种双重折射现象，而体素是二维像素的三维对应物。科学家们开发了一种伪单脉冲——这是对之前双脉冲技术的改进——其中，一个脉冲可以根据偏振分裂成两个脉冲，第一个脉冲用于一个体素，第二个脉冲用于另一个体素。
This came alongside parallel writing capabilities, in which many data voxels can be written at the same time in close proximity, significantly increasing the writing speed.
与此同时，并行写入功能也得以实现，它允许在彼此靠近的情况下同时写入多个数据体素，从而显著提高写入速度。
The scientists also devised a new storage type in the form of "phase voxels," in which data can be encoded into the phase change — the shifting of the phase of a material via changes in energy and pressure — of the glass instead of its polarization, which occurs in the birefringent voxels. This is possible with just a single pulse, and the scientists also devised a new technique to read data held in this way.
科学家们还设计了一种新型存储方式——“相位体素”。在这种存储方式中，数据可以编码到玻璃的相变（即材料相态随能量和压力变化而发生的转变）中，而不是像双折射体素那样编码到其偏振态中。这种编码只需一个脉冲即可完成，科学家们还开发了一种读取以这种方式存储的数据的新技术。
Finally, the team found a way to identify aging data storage in voxels within the glass. They used this method alongside standard accelerated aging techniques to determine that the data could last more than 10,000 years.
最后，研究团队找到了一种识别玻璃体素中老化数据存储的方法。他们将这种方法与标准的加速老化技术结合使用，确定数据可以保存超过1万年。
In the future, the team will consider how to improve writing and reading technologies, including ways to enhance the lasers that write the data into the glass storage devices. They will also pursue different glass compositions to find the ideal material on which to store data in this format.
未来，研究团队将考虑如何改进写入和读取技术，包括如何增强将数据写入玻璃存储设备的激光器。他们还将探索不同的玻璃成分，以找到以这种格式存储数据的理想材料。
1.微软代号Project Silica项目的玻璃存储革新
Microsoft can now store data for 10,000 years on everyday glass thanks to laser breakthrough
得益于激光技术的突破，微软现已能够在普通玻璃上存储数据长达10,000年。
Breakthrough improvements to Microsoft's glass-based data-storage technology mean ordinary glassware, such as that used in cookware and oven doors, can store terabytes of data, with the information lasting 10,000 years.
微软以玻璃为基础材料的数据存储技术的突破性改进意味着，普通玻璃器皿（例如用于炊具和烤箱门的玻璃）可以存储数TB级别的数据，且信息可持续保存上万年。
The technology, which has been in development under the "Project Silica" banner since 2019, has seen steady improvements, and scientists outlined the latest innovations today (Feb. 18) in the journal Nature.
这项自2019年以来一直以“Project Silica”为代号进行开发的技术目前正稳步推进，科学家们今天（2026年2月18日）在《自然》杂志上发表了其最新的研究成果。
In the new study, the team showed they could encode data onto ordinary borosilicate glass — a durable, heat-resistant type of glass that's often used in glassware found in most kitchens. Previously, the scientists could only store data on pure fused silica glass, which is expensive to make and available from only a few sources. They also demonstrated several new data-encoding and data-reading techniques.
在这项新研究中，技术团队展示了他们可以将数据编码到普通的硼硅酸盐玻璃上——这是一种坚固、耐热的玻璃类型，通常用于大多数厨房中可见的玻璃器皿。此前，科学家只能将数据存储在纯熔融石英玻璃上，这种玻璃制造昂贵且仅有少数来源可提供。他们还展示了几种新的数据编码和数据读取技术。
"The advance addresses key barriers to commercialization: cost and availability of storage media," study co-author Richard Black, partner research manager at Microsoft, said in a statement. "We have unlocked the science for parallel high-speed writing and developed a technique to permit accelerated aging tests on the written glass, suggesting that the data should remain intact for at least 10,000 years."
“这一进步解决了商业化的关键障碍：存储介质的成本和可用性，”研究共同作者、微软合伙人研究经理Richard Black在一份声明中表示。“我们已经解开了并行高速写入的科学奥秘，并开发了一种技术，允许对写入后的玻璃进行加速老化测试，这表明数据应保持完整至少10,000年。”
The team fitted- 4.8TB of data — equivalent to roughly 200 4K movies — onto 301 layers in a piece of glass measuring 0.08 by 4.72 inches (2 by 120 millimeters) at a writing rate of 3.13 megabytes per second (MB/s). Although that's much slower than the writing speed of hard drives (roughly 160 MB/s) or solid-state drives (roughly 7,000 MB/s), the scientists found that the data could last more than 10,000 years. Most hard drives and solid-state drives, by contrast, last up to about 10 years.
该团队在一块尺寸为0.08乘4.72英寸（2乘120毫米）的玻璃片的301个层级中，以每秒3.13兆字节（MB/s）的写入速率，装入了4.8TB的数据——大约相当于200部4K电影。虽然这比硬盘驱动器（约160 MB/s）或固态硬盘（约7,000 MB/s）的写入速度慢得多，但科学家发现这些数据可以持续超过10,000年。相比之下，大多数硬盘驱动器和固态硬盘的寿命最高约为10年。
To demonstrate this idea, Microsoft scientists previously outlined plans to preserve music in the Global Music Vault in Norway.
为验证这一理念，微软科学家提出将该技术应用于音乐数据保存于挪威“全球音乐金库”的计划上。
Project Silica’s coaster-size glass plates can store data for thousands of years, creating sustainable storage for the world.
Project Silica项目所采用的coaster（注：coaster原意为杯垫，在科技报道中，使用“coaster-size”是一种常用的修辞手法，目的是让读者直观感受到这种能存数TB数据的存储介质其实非常小巧便携。）尺寸玻璃板可将数据保存数千年，为全球提供可持续的存储解决方案。
Storing data on glass might sound futuristic, but it’s a concept that dates back to the 19th century when single photographic negatives were preserved on panes of glass. Fast forward to today, technology has remarkably expanded the storage capabilities of this sustainable material. A small sheet of glass can now hold several terabytes of data, enough to store approximately 1.75 million songs or 13 years’ worth of music.
在玻璃上存储数据听起来颇具未来感，但这一概念实则可追溯至19世纪，当时单张摄影底片即被保存在玻璃板上。时至今日，该技术已使这种可持续材料的存储能力得到极大拓展。如今，一小块玻璃板即可存储数TB级别的数据，足以容纳约175万首歌曲或相当于13年的音乐内容。
Elire, a sustainability-focused venture group, has collaborated with Microsoft Research’s Project Silica team to harness this technology for their Global Music Vault in Svalbard, Norway. Using silica-based glass plates, they’re creating a durable archive that is not only resistant to electromagnetic pulses and extreme temperatures but also environmentally friendly.
Elire是一家专注于可持续发展的风险投资集团，它与微软研究院的Project Silica团队合作，为其位于挪威斯瓦尔巴群岛的全球音乐金库引入该项技术。通过使用二氧化硅基玻璃板，他们正在创建一个耐用的档案库，不仅能抵抗电磁脉冲和极端温度，而且对环境友好。
This vault will complement repositories like the Global Seed Vault and the Arctic World Archive, offering a comprehensive sanctuary for musical heritage—from classical operas to modern hits and indigenous compositions. Looking to the future, Elire plans to expand this enduring musical repository by establishing accessible locations worldwide, inviting the public to interact with this extensive and ever-growing archive.
该数据库将作为全球种子库（Global Seed Vault）和北极世界档案馆（Arctic World Archive）的补充，为从古典歌剧到现代流行乐及原住民作品的音乐遗产提供一个全面的避难所。展望未来，Elire公司计划通过在全范围内建立可访问的地点来扩展这个持久的音乐仓库，邀请公众与这个广泛且不断增长的档案库互动。
Only 5,000 years ago did we start to produce writing. If you think about what it means to store data for 10,000 years, that’s an amazingly long time.
直到5,000年前我们才开始产生文字。如果你思考一下存储数据10,000年意味着什么，那是一段惊人的漫长时间。
Symbiosis in the cloud
Project Silica is focused on pioneering data storage in quartz glass in partnership with the Microsoft Azure team, seeking more sustainable ways to archive data. This relationship is symbiotic, as Project Silica uses Azure AI to decode data stored in glass, making reading and writing faster and allowing more data storage.
数据存储的云端共生
Project Silica致力于与Microsoft Azure（微软推出的公有云服务平台）团队合作，开拓石英玻璃中的数据存储，寻求更可持续的档案数据方式。这种关系是共生的，因为Project Silica使用Azure AI来解码存储在玻璃中的数据，从而加快了读取和写入速度，并允许存储更多数据。
Data is stored in glass via a four-step process: writing with an ultrafast femtosecond laser, reading through a computer-controlled microscope, decoding, and finally, storing in a library. The library is passive, with no electricity in any of the storage units.
数据写入玻璃的过程包含四个步骤：首先使用超快飞秒激光进行写入；其次通过计算机控制的显微镜读取；然后进行解码；最后将玻璃板存入档案库。该档案库为被动式系统，所有存储单元均无需供电。
The complexity is within the robots that charge as they idle inside the lab, awakening when data is needed. They climb the shelves, fetch the glass, and then zip back to the reader. Black says, “Once we finish writing the glass and move it to the library, we design the system so it can never go back to the writer. It’s completely immutable.”
系统的复杂性集中于内部机器人——它们在待机状态下自行充电，仅在需要数据时被唤醒。这些机器人攀爬货架，取出玻璃板，迅速送回读取设备。Black表示：“一旦玻璃板完成写入并移入档案库，系统设计便确保其永不返回写入端，从而实现完全不可篡改。”
Initially, the laser writing process was inefficient, but after years of refinement, the team can now store several TB in a single glass plate that could last 10,000 years. For a sense of scale, each plate could store around 3,500 movies. Or enough non-stop movies to play for over half a year without repeating.
起初，激光写入过程效率低下，但经过多年的改进，该团队现在可以在单块玻璃板上存储数TB级别数据，且可持续保存10,000年。从规模感来说，每块板可以存储大约3,500部电影。或者足够不间断播放半年多而不重复的电影。
Laser-focused on archival storage
In the study, the scientists revealed several discoveries that together resulted in more efficient and cost-effective writing and reading on glass.
聚焦归档存储
在这项研究中，科学家们公布了几项发现，这些发现共同促成了在玻璃上进行更高效、更经济的写入和读取。
First, they detailed advances in a technique called birefringent voxel writing with laser pulses. Birefringence is the phenomenon of double refraction, and voxels are the 3D equivalent of 2D pixels. The scientists developed a pseudo-single pulse — an improvement on the previous two pulses — in which one pulse can split following polarization to form the first pulse for one voxel and the second pulse for another.
首先，他们详细介绍了一种名为双折射体素激光脉冲写入技术的进展。双折射是一种双重折射现象，而体素是二维像素的三维对应物。科学家们开发了一种伪单脉冲——这是对之前双脉冲技术的改进——其中，一个脉冲可以根据偏振分裂成两个脉冲，第一个脉冲用于一个体素，第二个脉冲用于另一个体素。
This came alongside parallel writing capabilities, in which many data voxels can be written at the same time in close proximity, significantly increasing the writing speed.
与此同时，并行写入功能也得以实现，它允许在彼此靠近的情况下同时写入多个数据体素，从而显著提高写入速度。
The scientists also devised a new storage type in the form of "phase voxels," in which data can be encoded into the phase change — the shifting of the phase of a material via changes in energy and pressure — of the glass instead of its polarization, which occurs in the birefringent voxels. This is possible with just a single pulse, and the scientists also devised a new technique to read data held in this way.
科学家们还设计了一种新型存储方式——“相位体素”。在这种存储方式中，数据可以编码到玻璃的相变（即材料相态随能量和压力变化而发生的转变）中，而不是像双折射体素那样编码到其偏振态中。这种编码只需一个脉冲即可完成，科学家们还开发了一种读取以这种方式存储的数据的新技术。
Finally, the team found a way to identify aging data storage in voxels within the glass. They used this method alongside standard accelerated aging techniques to determine that the data could last more than 10,000 years.
最后，研究团队找到了一种识别玻璃体素中老化数据存储的方法。他们将这种方法与标准的加速老化技术结合使用，确定数据可以保存超过1万年。
In the future, the team will consider how to improve writing and reading technologies, including ways to enhance the lasers that write the data into the glass storage devices. They will also pursue different glass compositions to find the ideal material on which to store data in this format.
未来，研究团队将考虑如何改进写入和读取技术，包括如何增强将数据写入玻璃存储设备的激光器。他们还将探索不同的玻璃成分，以找到以这种格式存储数据的理想材料。
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2.德国Cerabyte团队的陶瓷存储路线图
Laser-engraved ceramic storage device that stores data for 5,000+ years targets astounding 100 petabytes per rack by 2030 — 10X performance boost and 100,000 petabytes per rack also on Cerbayte's roadmap
可存储超过5,000年数据的激光雕刻陶瓷存储设备，其目标是到2030年达到每机架100PB的惊人容量——在Cerabyte的路线图中，还包括10倍的性能提升以及每机架100,000PB的容量目标。
Startup aiming to deliver 100x capacity and 20x speed compared to its pilot system over the next five years.
这家初创公司旨在未来五年内提供比其试点系统高出100倍的容量和20倍的速度。
German storage startup Cerabyte recently presented at the A3 Tech Live conference in Munich, where it detailed an ambitious new roadmap. Blocks & Files has shared a few upxed details about how Cerabyte’s plans are expected to unfold over the next half decade as it pioneers innovative ceramic nanolayer-based storage. Highlights included the goal of realizing storage systems that offer 100 petabytes (PB) of storage per rack, with transfer rates of 2 GB/s, by 2030. Capacities could even reach 100,000PB per rack by 2045, should supporting laser technologies advance as expected.
德国存储初创公司Cerabyte在慕尼黑举行的A3 Tech Live会议上发表了相关演讲，并详细介绍了其雄心勃勃的新技术路线图。媒体Blocks & Files分享了一些关于Cerabyte计划在未来五年内如何展开的更新细节，因为它正在开拓创新的基于陶瓷纳米层的存储技术。亮点包括：目标到2030年实现每机架提供100PB存储空间、传输速率为2GB/s的存储系统。如果配套的激光技术如预期般进步，到2045年容量甚至可能达到每机架100,000PB。
Cerabyte is currently on the verge of completing the deployment of its pilot production system. This is roadmapped for 2026, so there are a few months of latitude remaining. However, we are sure that the recently announced partnership with storage stalwart Western Digital will help oil the wheels of progress.
Cerabyte公司即将完成其试点生产系统的部署。该系统计划于2026年正式推出，因此仍有数月的调整时间。然而，我们确信，近期与存储行业巨头西部数据（Western Digital）宣布的合作伙伴关系将有力推动项目进展。
This first system boasts a spacious 1PB storage per rack for the pilot, but only pedestrian 100 MB/s data transfers. Another drawback of these first systems will be their 90-second time to first byte (TTFB) performance. While some of these metrics may seem acceptable for archival storage, given its attractively resilient and durable characteristics (with a touted 5,000-year data integrity), more can clearly be done.
首批试点系统每机架可提供高达1PB的存储空间，但数据传输速率仅为普通的100 MB/s。此外，这些初始系统的另一项不足是首次字节时间（Time to First Byte, TTFB，它衡量的是从用户发出数据请求到接收到服务器（或存储设备）传回的第一个字节数据所花费的时间。）长达 90 秒。尽管对于归档存储而言，上述部分性能指标或许尚可接受，尤其是考虑到其出色的韧性与耐久性（据称可保持数据完整性长达5,000年），但显然仍有显著提升空间。
That longevity and stability are the core drivers of innovations like glass- and ceramics-based storage devices for chiefly archival reasons — rather than usage in most day-to-day devices. In theory, these alternative storage formats are much more reliable than existing formats and can serve as a long-term repository for the data we generate.
正是这种超长的数据寿命与稳定性，成为推动玻璃及陶瓷基存储设备等创新技术发展的核心驱动力，其主要应用场景为长期归档，而非日常设备使用。理论上，这些新型存储介质比现有格式更为可靠，可作为人类生成数据的长期存储库。
3."Tape-based" Progress in DNA Data Storage
3.中国科学家团队的DNA存储的“磁带化”进展
The news also follows another independent breakthrough in DNA storage, with 360TB of data capable of being held in half a mile (0.8 kilometers) of DNA.
这一消息也紧随另一项关于DNA存储的研究突破之后，只需0.5英里（0.8公里）长的DNA序列长度就能够容纳360TB的数据。
New 'DNA cassette tape' can store up to 1.5 million times more data than a smartphone — and the data can last 20,000 years if frozen
新型“DNA盒式磁带”存储的数据量可达普通智能手机的150万倍——且如果以冷冻方式保存，数据寿命更能达到20,000年。
Scientists have discovered that over half a mile of DNA could hold over 360,000 terabytes of data.
科学家发现，仅半英里多的DNA即可容纳超过360,000TB的数据。
Running out of space on your phone? Don't upgrade your cloud-storage subscxtion just yet. Scientists in China have discovered that images, text files and other digital data can be stored in strands of DNA fused to a 330-foot-long (100 meters) plastic strip capable of holding the equivalent of 3 billion songs.
手机空间快用完了？先别急着升级你的云存储订阅。中国科学家发现，图像、文本文件和其他数字数据可以存储在融合到一条 330英尺长（100 米）塑料带上的DNA链中，该塑料带能够容纳相当于30亿首歌的数据。
It's a far cry from a device that Microsoft built in 2016, which managed to squeeze 200 megabytes of data into a dab of DNA "much smaller than the tip of a pencil."
这与微软在2016年制造的设备大不相同，后者成功地将200兆字节的数据挤进了一点“比铅笔尖小得多”的DNA中。
The new "tape" can even be fed into a cassette-player-like reader that can scan the strip, pinpoint a chosen file, and retrieve it on demand. The team outlined their findings in a study published Sept. 10 in the journal Science Advances.
这种新型“磁带”甚至可以放入类似磁带播放器的读取器中，读取器可以扫描磁带，精确定位选定的文件，并按需检索。该团队在2025年9月10日发表于《科学进展》（Science Advances）杂志的一项研究中概述了他们的发现。
DNA is a long, double-helical molecule made from a unique sequence of four chemical bases — adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T) — that together encode the genetic information of an organism. Similarly, every digital file is ultimately a combination of 1s and 0s that a computer can interpret as a PDF, JPEG or other file type.
DNA是一种长长的双螺旋分子，由四种化学碱基——腺嘌呤（A）、胞嘧啶（C）、鸟嘌呤（G）和胸腺嘧啶（T）——的独特序列构成，它们共同编码生物体的遗传信息。类似地，每个数字文件最终都是由1和0的组合构成，计算机可以将其解释为PDF、JPEG或其他文件类型。
If each base were to represent a specific pattern of 0s and 1s, then a piece of artificial DNA could be encoded to contain the binary code for digital files. This type of molecule does not come from a living organism, but is assembled in the lab by lixing pre-manufactured nucleotide building blocks together in the desired sequence.
如果每个碱基代表特定的0和1模式，那么一段人工合成的DNA就可以被编码，从而包含数字文件的二进制代码。这种分子并非来自生物体，而是在实验室中通过将预先制造的核苷酸构建模块按所需序列连接起来而组装而成的。
This is what the scientists did before printing the encoded DNA on a long piece of tape. A solution containing the strands was passed over the strip so they adsorbed to the polymer surface.
在将编码后的DNA打印到一长条胶带上之前，科学家们先进行了以下操作：将含有DNA链的溶液流过胶带，使其吸附到聚合物表面。
"DNA has the potential to become the next-generation information storage medium due to its high storage density," the authors wrote in the study. "The rolled configuration of the DNA tape efficiently maximizes the spatial utilization of the material, enabling portability and extending the number of available areas and storage capacity by increasing its length."
“由于其高存储密度，DNA有望成为下一代信息存储介质，”研究人员在论文中写道。“DNA胶带的卷绕结构有效地最大化了材料的空间利用率，使其便于携带，并通过增加长度来扩展可用区域和存储容量。”
Each section of the tape is printed with a barcode indicating which file is held there. A camera on the cassette-player-like machine then scans the tape as it moves between its two rollers, locates a file and dips that spot into a basic solution that releases the DNA. The DNA can then be sequenced, and that sequence of bases can be translated into the file's code.
胶带的每一段都印有条形码，指示该段存储的文件。然后，类似磁带播放器的机器上的摄像头扫描在两个滚轮之间移动的胶带，找到文件后，将该位置浸入一种碱性溶液中，释放出DNA。之后，可以对DNA进行测序，并将碱基序列翻译成文件的代码。
Data storage for hundreds — if not thousands — of years
The researchers hope their DNA tape could offer a solution to the proliferation of digital data, which has been exacerbated massively by the generative artificial intelligence (AI) boom. They estimate that a piece roughly 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) long could hold up to 362,000 terabytes of data — the equivalent of about 60 billion photos. For reference, laptops often ship with between 0.5 and 2TB of storage, while smartphones usually have a minimum of 128GB or 256GB.
数据存储可保存数百年甚至数千年，研究人员希望他们研制的DNA磁带能够解决数字数据激增的问题，而生成式人工智能（AI）的蓬勃发展更是加剧了这一问题。他们估计，一段约1公里长的DNA磁带可以存储高达36.2万TB的数据——相当于约600亿张照片。作为参考，笔记本电脑的存储空间通常在0.5TB到2TB之间，而智能手机的最低存储容量通常为128GB或256GB。
Beyond the high storage capacity, the data the DNA tape encapsulates could be preserved for a long time, the team said. That's because the DNA strands are stored inside metal organic frxworks (MOFs) — molecular-scale cages made of zinc ions — that provide a layer of protection.
研究团队表示，除了高存储容量之外，DNA磁带封装的数据还可以长期保存。这是因为DNA链被存储在金属有机框架（MOF）——一种由锌离子构成的分子级笼状结构——中，从而提供了一层保护层。
DNA is known to keep its form for centuries, and the researchers found that their tape could store data for more than 345 years at room temperature, or about 20,000 years at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). Even in the event of breakage, the DNA tape could be fixed using transparent adhesive tape, they said in the study.
众所周知，DNA 可以保持其结构数百年之久。研究人员发现，他们研制的DNA磁带在室温下可以存储数据超过345年，在0摄氏度（32华氏度）下则可以存储约2万年。他们在研究中指出，即使磁带破损，也可以用透明胶带进行修复。
In addition to identifying and extracting DNA strands that correspond to a specific file, the reader can encapsulate new DNA strands in MOFs and deposit them onto the tape. It can also autonomously detect when a DNA strand is in the wrong barcoded section and move it to the correct one.
除了识别和提取与特定文件对应的DNA链外，该读取器还可以将新的DNA链封装在金属有机框架（MOF）中，并将其沉积到磁带上。它还可以自主检测DNA链是否位于错误的条形码区域，并将其移动到正确的区域。
While DNA data storage has been explored extensively over the years, this is one of the first solutions to show elegant "file system" behavior, meaning that files can be retrieved, modified or dexed. It also works robotically, instead of requiring a combination of manual and instrument steps, and can handle "warm" (repeatedly accessed) data as well as "cold" (rarely accessed) data.
尽管DNA数据存储技术多年来已被广泛研究，但这是首批展现出优雅“文件系统”行为的解决方案之一，这意味着文件可以被检索、修改或删除。此外，它无需人工操作和仪器辅助，即可实现自动化运行，并且可以处理“热数据”（重复访问的数据）以及“冷数据”（很少访问的数据）。
However, challenges remain. The actual synthesis of DNA is still costly and time-consuming, and it requires bulky equipment. Plus, the process of recovering a single file from the tape takes about 25 minutes. Therefore, in its current state, the DNA cassette player doesn't offer a feasible method of archiving our digital data.
然而，挑战依然存在。DNA的实际合成仍然成本高昂且耗时，并且需要笨重的设备。此外，从磁带中恢复单个文件的过程大约需要25分钟。因此，就目前而言，DNA磁带播放器并不能提供一种立等可取的数字数据归档方案。
That being said, the scientists hope that their research could lead to technology that can store huge amounts of both warm and cold data in a compact form, reducing reliance on the massive data centers in use today.
尽管如此，该团队所属的科学家们仍希望他们的研究能够催生出一种技术，该技术可以以紧凑的形式存储海量的冷热数据，从而减少对目前使用的大型数据中心的依赖。