Akonia Holographics With Photopolymer Media at 1.35Tb/Square Inch Areal Density

Akonia Holographics, LLC has demonstrated storage density of 1.35Tb per square inch using an holographic drive architecture with its new photopolymer media.

“This milestone is the first in a series of demonstrations we have targeted with our newest technology platform,” says CEO Ken Anderson.

From compliance requirements to data mining, archival storage needs are expanding massively. The most practical and cost-effective method for storing archival data today is tape, but with its sequential R/W and rigid environmental requirements, a replacement technology is needed. Much like the cassette tape migrating to the CD and VHS tape being usurped by the DVD, digital tape will soon be replaced by Akonia’s robust and random access holographic storage technology without cost penalty.

Akonia’s holographic storage is an archive solution with the benefits of tape along with the added benefit of random access. As a removable optical media, it provides a use-case that is as easy and familiar as a DVD.  Holographic storage also offers a much smaller footprint, lower-cost, and low energy consumption.

Unlike incremental approaches such as using Blu-ray disks for archiving, holographically reading and recording data involves transferring millions of bits in parallel. This enables 10X faster transfer rates along with enormous storage density (one holographic disc stores more data than 54 Blu-ray discs), both of which are required for growing world data volumes.  

Additionally, the media can be produced at low cost since it is plastic and doesn’t suffer from the complexity of multiple layers.

Holographic storage can follow Moore’s law for many years to come since it is a 3D storage technology.  

“Every other storage technology is struggling to take advantage of the 3(rd) dimension by adding layers or stacks of disks. Holographic storage does this inherently. We are just scratching the surface of what this technology can accomplish. Initially, we will enjoy a 2x to 4x advantage over LTO tape in dollars per terabyte and volumetric density. This gap will grow even larger in future product generations,” says Anderson.  

Specific details of Akonia’s new holographic drive and actual performance data will be shared at the SPIE Optics+Photonics conference in San Diego, CA, August 17-21, 2014.

Read also:
New Company Believes in Holographic Data Storage, Yes it Exists!
Akonia Holographics