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Physics

Holographic Data Storage Using Photorefractive Crystals

Quick fact

A single holographic crystal could theoretically store over a terabyte of data, and read/write speeds could reach gigabytes per second, because data is written and read as entire 2D pages rather than single bits.

Why this is interesting

You’ve probably stored photos and videos on a hard drive, but what if a 1-centimeter cube of crystal could hold the same amount of data as thousands of Blu-ray discs? Holographic storage turns a slab of crystal into a 3D vault for light-based ‘pages’ of information, but why aren't we using it everywhere yet?