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Will writing an email or a comment on social networks soon be a luxury? Every year, we produce more digital data than we have hardware to store it. The solution could come from the human being. DNA inspires scientists today.
On the INA side, all television programs are stored. The institute has logged more than 26 million hours of recordings. They are stored in a huge data center at the heart of the building. Hard drives are not only energy-intensive, but they also need to be renewed regularly. Technological obsolescence is in question.
A still experimental method
This is why scientists are working on an imitation of DNA, made in the laboratory. The purpose of the maneuver is to encode our data differently, in DNA language, on artificial molecules. Synthetic DNA. This technology is still in its infancy. A start-up has embarked on the adventure. To manufacture a synthetic molecule, a 300,000 euro machine is needed. The result is stunning: the data is only contained in a drop of water. Then, the drop must be placed in a machine in order to be able to decrypt the data contained inside. Each strand of DNA delivers a computer code. It is therefore necessary to be patient before the data is restored. The method is still experimental.
Among our sources
CNRS article on DNA data storage in 2022
CNRS press kit on DNA storage in 2021
Report of the International Data Corporation in 2018
Ademe report on the energy impact of data centers in 2019