Could The 1 TB inexpensive optical disc be in the near future?

Signs point to yes!

A new startup wants to tackle Blu-ray, tape with an inexpensive 1TB optical disc!

Folio Photonics claims to have “economically viable enterprise-scale optical storage drives with dynamic multi-layer read/write capabilities,” providing a dramatic improvement in cost per capacity.

Today’s archival discs only have three optical layers per side, but the breakthrough was achieved by allowing up to 16 layers to be applied to each surface of the disc, which greatly increases capacity.

More storage capacity, lower price - Following the breakthrough, PrimeArray will shift swiftly and its products for its all-important customers.

A capacity of 10 TB could be in the near future soon too. The possible addition of additional layers is expected to allow the disks to quickly increase to a “capacity of several TB”.

Folio Photonics is quoted below.

“Our talented engineering team has pioneered a new approach to optical storage that overcomes historical limitations and delivers unprecedented advantages in cost, cybersecurity and sustainability,”.

As the volume of data generated by internet activity, digital devices, IoT sensors, and general business operations continues to grow at an aggressive rate, large companies are expected to spend heavily on archive storage.

Currently, Linear Tape-Open (LTO) magnetic tape rules the roost, with the lowest cost per capacity of any technology. However, tape has its weaknesses too; data can only be accessed serially, making it hard to locate specific files, and companies also need to migrate to fresh tape on a semi-regular basis to avoid data loss.

Tape vs Blu-ray: Which storage technology is best for your business? –

Using Blu-ray for corporate data storage is a relatively new idea and won't necessarily be a good storage method for all businesses. So why would Facebook choose this technology over more established ones?

It has been reported that Facebook is testing an optical Blu-ray disk library in the first instance to store its compliance data. Blu-ray supports both re-writeable as well as WORM (write once, read many times) media. Data on WORM discs cannot be modified - only the disk itself can be destroyed - and WORM media types are therefore ideally suited to storing information that must be maintained in its original states, such as compliance and regulatory data.

PrimeArray systems carefully follow all enhancements in technology to immediately implement into its products to enhance their capabilities. PrimeArray systems continue to be the world leader in optical media storage!