The evolution of data storage has a long tail ranging from experimentation with different materials for storage by Alexander Graham Bell to the recent electronic hardware. The demand for storage has been one step ahead compared to the evolution of new solutions. Microsoft Project Silica has delivered a proof of concept for its quartz glass storage theory. The Corporation teamed up with Warner Bros. to inscribe the classic 1978 Christopher Reeve Superman Film on to a palm-sized glass disk.  

Microsoft research project has used the recent technology advancement in lasers such as ultrafast optics and AI to store data in quartz glass. The laser encoded the data on the glass surface by creating three-dimensional layers using nanoscale gratings and deformations at various depths and angles. A machine learning algorithm was developed to decode the data; wherein a polarized light shone through the glass as patterns and images were developed.

The hard silica can withstand any environmental and physical challenges such as boiling water, baking in microwave, flood, scour, and demagnetization. It raises our hopes of storing historical archives or cultural treasures in hardware, which can go through unreasonable environmental conditions. 

Mark Russinovich, Chief Technology Officer, Azure said in a statement that storing the complete superman movie on the glass and reading it out is a significant breakthrough. Not all the questions related to the new solution have been answered, but it is in a phase that needs refinements and experimentation.

The new development represents an investment by Microsoft Azure to create technology specifically for cloud computing rather than relying on the storage media for computers.  It is one of the ways that the cloud storage provider Azure is aiming to solve challenges—ranging from Project Brainwave’s FPGA processing power to Natick’s underwater data center tests. The company is looking toward innovation as a solution for connectivity, computing, and storage issues.