Microsoft researchers have reached a major breakthrough in data storage by encoding terabytes of information into ordinary borosilicate glass, the same heat-resistant material used in kitchen ovenware.

 

 

Microsoft researchers have reached a major breakthrough in data storage by encoding terabytes of information into ordinary borosilicate glass, the same heat-resistant material used in kitchen ovenware.

 

Under Project Silica, the team successfully stored 4.8 terabytes of data — equal to about 200 4K movies — inside 301 microscopic layers within a single glass disk. Unlike hard drives or SSDs that can fail within years, this laser-based method is designed to keep data readable for up to 10,000 years, creating a near-permanent digital archive.

 

Although writing speeds are currently slower than standard consumer storage, the goal is long-term stability rather than daily performance. Researchers used advanced laser and parallel writing techniques to make the process more practical and scalable.

 

The technology is already being used for preservation projects such as the Global Music Vault in Norway, showing that the future of digital memory may lie in durable glass rather than traditional electronic drives.