News


From the editor's desk: The digital deluge

May 2024 News


Kim Roberts, Editor.

One of the issues arising out of our newfound ability to generate our own electricity is the ability to store it. BESS systems are the order of the day, and we regularly run stories on this new development. But, there’s another kind of storage, which is also becoming increasingly critical, and that’s data storage.

Big data is getting bigger

The world has a data storage problem. The volume of data being generated and stored is growing exponentially. Our reliance on data and digital storage has never been greater. Data is streaming onto the web from billions of devices. Every click, swipe, like and share contributes to the huge pool of digital information. New technologies like AI, NLP and deep neural networks are compounding this deluge.

All this information needs to be stored somewhere, and the demand for storage is overtaking the available supply. The days when a floppy disk, stiffy, CD, hard drive or SSD could store your information are long gone. Nowadays it’s the cloud. But the cloud is in reality someone else’s computer in a data centre with a finite capacity. The data is eventually archived, mainly on magnetic tape, and this has a limited lifespan. So all the data we have already stored digitally is at risk of being lost in obsolescence.

Gartner warns of the ‘digital wall’ that traditional computing technologies will face as early as 2025, and predicts that by 2030 the shortfall in organisational storage capacity could amount to nearly two-thirds of demand. Fortunately, we are an enterprising species, and organisations are beginning to test emerging storage technologies such as DNA storage, glass storage, neuromorphic computing, and extreme parallelism. I must admit that all of these are new to me, but DNA storage attracted my attention, so I decided to investigate further.

It’s all in the DNA

DNA encodes the genetic instructions for all living organisms, and its compactness, longevity, and information density make it ideal for data storage. Recent advancements in biotechnology, coupled with plummeting costs, are moving this technology from theory to reality.

Decades ago we learned to sequence and synthesise DNA, that is to read and write it. Each position in a single strand of DNA consists of one of four nucleic acids, known as bases, and is represented as A, T, G and C. In DNA storage, digital data that would be stored as 0s and 1s on a hard drive is instead encoded as a 0 or 1 on each of the four bases.

DNA is cheap, readily available and stable at room temperature for millennia. One of its features is its data density. A single gram of DNA is capable of storing billions of gigabytes of data. It has been calculated that all the information on the internet, which one estimate puts at 120 zettabytes, could be stored in a volume of DNA about the size of a sugar cube (a zettabyte is 270 bytes, or a billion terrabytes).

DNA also has unequalled longevity. While traditional storage media degrade over time, DNA can remain intact for thousands of years. This makes it ideal for archiving critical information such as historical records or scientific data, so that it remains accessible for future generations. It’s also incredibly energy-efficient compared to traditional methods. Once information is encoded into DNA molecules it requires no power to maintain, unlike today’s data centres that consume vast amounts of electricity for cooling.

Of course, there are challenges. Storing information in DNA is easily achievable. The hard part is getting the information into and out of the molecule in an economically viable way. This is already happening. In 2018, researchers from Microsoft and the University of Washington built the first prototype of a machine that could write, store, and read data on a DNA strand.

One hurdle is the cost of synthesising and sequencing the DNA. The price for sequencing has dropped from $25 a base in 1990 to less than a millionth of a cent in 2024, but this is still too high for large-scale adoption. But humans have done this before. Exponential growth in silicon-based technology is the reason why we wound up producing so much data. Similar exponential growth can make the transition to DNA storage happen.

Looking ahead, from long-term archival storage to ultra-secure data encryption, the possibilities are limited only by our imagination. Imagine a world where the entirety of human knowledge fits in the palm of your hand, where information is preserved for millennia, and where data centres are powered by the building blocks of life. This is the promise of DNA storage.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.

Read more...
Comtest calibration user group seminar
Comtest News
Comtest invites metrology and calibration professionals to a focused technical seminar series aimed at demystifying some of the most common hurdles in inter-laboratory comparisons.

Read more...
Functional safety explained
News
The SAIMC supports Pepperl+Fuchs, a National Member, in a free four-part online seminar series focused on Functional Safety.

Read more...
The Future of manufacturing in Africa
News
The future and development of African manufacturing will be discussed extensively at the upcoming Manufacturing Indaba conference, to be hosted on 15 to 16 July 2025 at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre.

Read more...
Hot topics at IFAT Africa and analytica Lab Africa 2025
News
Burning issues such as climate-smart infrastructure, sustainability in waste and water management, the circular economy and Extended Producer Responsibility will come under discussion at the three-day conference and forum presented by analytica Lab Africa and IFAT Africa at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg from 8 to 10 July 2025.

Read more...
RS South Africa showcases industrial solutions at MTE Phalaborwa
News
RS South Africa recently showcased its latest industrial and electronic solutions at the Mining and Technical Exhibition in Phalaborwa in Limpopo.

Read more...
Specialised Exhibitions appoints Joshua Low as commercial director for Africa
News
Specialised Exhibitions has appointed Joshua Low as commercial director for Africa. This strategic addition to the leadership team comes as Specialised Exhibitions embarks on an ambitious phase of growth across the African continent.

Read more...
WearCheck earns Dissolved Gas Analysis accreditation
Wearcheck News
WearCheck is now accredited to perform Dissolved Gas Analysis for transformers, following a recent assessment by SANAS.

Read more...
From the editor's desk: Riding the hype cycle
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control) News
The other day I came across an entertaining article on the ten biggest tech failures of the last decade. Google Glass, 3D TV and Elon Musk’s hyperloop have faded into obscurity. Others, like the metaverse, ...

Read more...
STEMulator – a gift to the youth of the nation
Editor's Choice News
STEMulator is a groundbreaking virtual platform designed to ignite the spark of curiosity in young minds and stimulate their interest in STEM subjects.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved