DNA Data Storage
The ultimate archival medium. 215 petabytes per gram, stable for 10,000 years, zero energy to maintain. Nature's own storage format.
Why Store Data in DNA?
All data ever created by humanity (~175 zettabytes) could fit in a container the size of a shoebox.
We've read DNA from 700,000-year-old horse bones. Properly stored synthetic DNA lasts millennia.
Unlike hard drives or tape, DNA requires no power to maintain. Store and forget for centuries.
As long as life exists, there will be tools to read DNA. No format obsolescence.
Storage Medium Comparison
| Medium | Density | Longevity | Energy | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hard Drive | ~10 GB/cm³ | 3-5 years | Continuous | $0.02/GB |
| Tape (LTO) | ~2 GB/cm³ | 15-30 years | None (cold) | $0.01/GB |
| Blu-ray (M-DISC) | ~0.5 GB/cm³ | 100+ years | None | $0.10/GB |
| DNA | ~215 PB/gram | 10,000+ years | None | $3,500/MB* |
*DNA costs are dropping exponentially. Target: $100/TB by 2030.
How It Works
Encoding
Binary data (0s and 1s) is converted to DNA base pairs (A, C, G, T). Various encoding schemes add error correction.
Synthesis
DNA synthesis machines build the strands nucleotide by nucleotide. Current tech synthesizes ~200 bases per strand.
Storage
Dried DNA is stored in tubes at room temperature or cooled. Properly stored, it remains stable for millennia.
Sequencing
To read data, DNA is sequenced using machines that identify each base pair. Modern sequencers read billions of bases.
Decoding
The sequence is converted back to binary, error-corrected, and the original file is reconstructed.
Milestones
First book encoded in DNA (George Church, Harvard) - 5.27 MB
Microsoft stores 200 MB in DNA, demonstrates random access retrieval
Catalog DNA achieves 16 GB write, largest to date
Twist Bioscience reaches $0.09/base synthesis cost
IARPA funds DNA storage research targeting $100/TB write cost
Key Players
The Forever Archive
We're tracking DNA storage breakthroughs as costs drop toward commercial viability.