If you keep all your designs, photos, or writing on a computer, you know that it’s important to have a backup — just in case. Relying on sturdy, state-of-the-art hard drives to store our most valuable data is almost always an unwise decision. These devices are often at risk of disk rot or data rot, and are often fragile and susceptible to the elements. However, researchers at the University of Southampton have announced that they’ve figured out how to store huge amounts of data on small glass data discs using laser writing.

Referred to as five dimensional (5D) digital data because in addition to the position of the data, the size and orientation plays a role too. These nano-structured glass discs that can store up to 360 TB of your photos for about 13.8 billion years. Using laser writing, this 5D optical storage solution can accommodate temperatures up to 1,000°C and is built to keep your data intact for a billion years.

5D optical storage discs

To date, scientists have used the glass discs to preserve notable documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Magna Carta — all on individual discs that will likely out-last humanity. Researchers are now looking into partnering with key companies to make these glass discs available commercially, enabling us to store more than a lifetime of important data.

Watch the following video to see the fabrication process of these glass data discs or find out more here.

Source: http://petapixel.com/2016/02/16/glass-disc-can-store-360-tb-photos-13-8-billion-years/