Researchers at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology have introduced a multidimensional optical storage method. This approach allows a single 3D point to hold 1024 distinct states, effectively encoding 10 bits of data per point instead of the standard single bit.
The system utilizes a single-beam architecture for both reading and writing operations. This design simplifies the optical setup by removing the need to align and stabilize multiple laser beams, which is a common requirement in other high-density experimental storage systems.
Under current configurations, a DVD-sized disc can theoretically store approximately 50 TB of data with a reading reliability exceeding 99.99 percent. The technology increases storage density without requiring smaller data points or additional physical layers.
Future scaling plans involve reducing the distance between layers from 5 micrometers to 1 micrometer. By increasing the number of distinguishable states to tens of thousands, researchers estimate that the theoretical capacity of a DVD-sized medium could reach 2.5 PB.
