The year 2039 might seem distant, but Ian Crawford is already planning for it at the Imperial War Museum. Crawford oversees a project to digitize the museum’s vast collections, which include around 24,000 hours of film and 11 million photographs. This effort is essential as original materials decay over time, making reliable storage systems crucial.
In this digital era, the need for data storage is surging. Businesses, hospitals, and governments are all seeking more space for their growing data volumes. According to Simon Robinson, principal analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, some industries see their data double every four to five years.
Traditional data centers for frequently accessed data are being supplanted by tape storage for long-term data retention. Linear Tape-Open (LTO) systems, particularly LTO9, are popular for their reliability and cost efficiency. These tapes can store up to 18 terabytes of data, equivalent to 300 standard smartphones.
HoloMem, a startup, believes it can improve on magnetic tape storage. The company uses lasers to create holograms in a lightsensitive polymer, allowing for multiplexing and more durable storage. Their system can withstand temperatures from -14°C to 160°C and has a lifespan of at least 50 years.
Microsoft is also exploring new storage solutions through Project Silica, which uses glass and voxels created by powerful lasers to store data. These glass panels can potentially store data for hundreds or thousands of years and integrate into Microsoft Azure in the future.
AI is another frontier for the Imperial War Museum, experimenting with image recognition to catalog their digital library efficiently. AI’s capability to analyze vast data volumes makes preserving that data increasingly valuable for subsequent analysis.
