Data is growing so fast that today's technologies may not be able to keep up

In computing, data is information that has been translated into a form that is efficient for movement or processing. Relative to today's computers and transmission media, data is information converted into binary digital form. It is acceptable for data to be used as a singular subject or a plural subject. Raw data is a term used to describe data in its most basic digital format.

Computers represent data, including video, images, sounds and text, as binary values using patterns of just two numbers: 0 and 1. A bit is the smallest unit of data and represents a single value. A byte is eight binary digits long. Storage and memory are measured in megabytes and gigabytes.

Data can be stored in file formats, as in mainframe systems using ISAM and VSAM. Other file formats for data storage, conversion and processing include comma-separated values. These formats continue to find uses across a variety of machine type, even as more structured-data-oriented approaches gained a footing in corporate computing.

Data is growing so fast that today's technologies may not be able to keep up. That is why Microsoft is working on new storage technologies to house massive amounts of data in DNA and holograms. These storage technologies could disrupt data centres across the world, and Microsoft claims they are closer.

"The amount of data being generated is escaping our grasp," says Mark Russinovich, Microsoft Azure Chief Technical Officer. "There are some types of data that we won't be able to store with today's technologies efficiently. This is where we're exploring novel ways to store data very efficiently and at larger scale to close the gap.

The implication for digital infrastructure is significant. Storing an exabyte of data currently requires two Azure data centres each about the size of a Walmart. "DNA storage could house that exabyte in one cubic centimetre of space," says Russinovinch.

"It's sustainable, organic, and durable," he adds. "It lasts hundreds of thousands to millions of years. On Earth, we've found 7 lakh years old biologic DNA. Stored under the right conditions, it can last virtually forever."

Exploring DNA Storage

"It's sustainable, organic, and durable," he adds. "It lasts hundreds of thousands to millions of years. On Earth, we've found 7 lakh years old biologic DNA. Stored under the right conditions, it can last virtually forever."

Microsoft's DNA storage system uses synthetic DNA created by companies such as Twist Bioscience, rather than repurposing DNA from humans or animals.

Researchers at the University of Washington have worked with Microsoft to develop a system that encodes data in synthetic DNA, which is stored in a liquid solution and then can be read and used in the data processing.

The automated DNA data storage initiative uses software that converts the ones and zeros of digital data into the building blocks of DNA, expressed as a string of AS, TS, CS and GS. It then uses lab equipment to flow the necessary liquids and chemicals into a synthesizer that creates manufactured snippets of DNA and pushes them into a storage vessel.

When the system needs to retrieve the information, it includes other chemicals to prepare the DNA and uses microfluidic pumps to push the liquid into a system that reads the DNA sequences and converts it back to information that a computer can understand.

Cloud computing is among the most disruptive IT trends. Amazon Web Services launched its cloud platform in 2006. Effective liquid cooling solutions have been available for years and remains lightly adopted. Changes come slowly to the most mission-critical areas of the data center that certainly adds storage.

However, Microsoft's interest in these technologies underscores the innovation premium of working with hyper-scale data centre customers who drive a large and growing chunk of the data centre business. Service providers who are targeting this market must reckon with the technologies these companies are adopting, and the specifications required supporting them.