It packs hundreds of times more information per square inch than best currently available technologies, study says
By
DANIELA HERNANDEZ
July 18, 2016 11:00 a.m. ET
30 COMMENTS
By manipulating the interactions between individual atoms, scientists report they have created a device that can pack hundreds of times more information per square inch than the best currently available data-storage technologies.
The working prototype is part of a decades-long attempt to shrink electronics down to the atomic level, a feat scientists believe would allow them to store information much more efficiently, in less space and more cheaply. By comparison, tech companies today build warehouse-sized data centers to store the billions of photos, videos and posts consumers upload to the internet daily. Corporations including International Business Machines Corp. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. also have explored research to reduce such space needs.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiny-hard-drive-uses-single-atoms-to-store-data-1468854001