- DNA storage delivers unprecedented data density compared to conventional tape and disk media
- Atlas Data Storage relies on custom chips to synthesize DNA for convenient archiving
- Reading DNA data uses sequencing methods with built-in error correction mechanisms
After nearly a decade of internal research and commercialization planning, Atlas Data Storage, a spin-off built on Twist Bioscience technology, has outlined a roadmap to terabyte-scale DNA data storage by 2026.
Atlas Data Storage says its immediate goal is to demonstrate storage densities high enough to fit 13 TB of digital data into a volume described as a single drop of water.
He argues that DNA offers a fundamentally different storage profile than magnetic tape or disk-based media.
Density potential of DNA storage
According to the company, DNA storage offers 1,000 to 1,500 times the volumetric density of standard LTO-10 tape cartridges.
According to ChatGPT calculations, a standard LTO-10 cartridge has external dimensions of 105.4 x 101.6 x 21.6 mm, resulting in a volume of approximately 231 cubic centimeters.
This translates to a native capacity of 40 TB and a volumetric density of approximately 0.173 TB per cubic centimeter.
Using these values, a single drop of water, about 0.05 cm³, could only store about 8.6 GB, while a volume the size of a 1 cm³ sugar cube could hold about 173 GB.
Applying the 1,500x density improvement claimed by Atlas, calculations indicate that a single drop of water, approximately 0.05 cm³, could theoretically store around 13 TB of data, and that a volume the size of a 1 cm³ sugar cube could hold more than 260 TB.
These numbers illustrate the density potential of DNA storage and show how it could condense data that would otherwise require thousands of LTO-10 cartridges into very small volumes.
However, the figures depend on assumptions related to usable volume, error correction, and replication overhead.
The Atlas Data Storage system relies on custom chips that synthesize strands of DNA encoding digital information, a process described as writing data.
Current prototypes would operate at gigabyte scale, while the next generation is expected to achieve terabyte-scale production.
Readout of stored data relies on sequencing methods optimized for known DNA formats with built-in error correction, providing cheaper and faster recovery than general-purpose sequencing.
Atlas Data Storage presents the combination of synthesis and sequencing as the mechanism that enables practical DNA-based archiving rather than a purely theoretical demonstration.
The company says DNA stored in sealed capsules at room temperature can remain readable for thousands of years, with copying done enzymatically rather than mechanically.
This approach avoids the periodic media refresh cycles required by the belt and reduces long-term carbon production through minimal cooling requirements and lower material turnover.
Although 13TB of storage in a single drop of water matches DNA’s theoretical density, practical deployment will depend on factors such as overhead, redundancy, error rates, and recovery speed.
Efforts over the past decade have explored DNA’s potential for ultra-dense, long-term digital storage, beyond the limitations of conventional media.
In 2016, Microsoft took a major step forward by purchasing ten million strands of long oligonucleotides from Twist Bioscience to experiment with encoding data in DNA.
In 2020, Microsoft, Twist Bioscience and Western Digital formed an alliance to accelerate development in this area.
Although reports suggest that DNA storage could become available in cartridge form by 2030 and address growing data challenges, its practical deployment remains limited at present.
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