Holographic Memory Darrell Draper Phillip Palmer
Contents
Introduction Data storage has been a fundamental part of computing from the beginning. The technology for data storage has been evolving along side other areas of computing technology. As these other areas of technology have developed the need for bigger and faster storage has been evident. To meet the need for better storage new technologies are constantly being developed as the old technology reaches it's physical limits and becomes outdated. Currently there are several new technologies being researched as possible replacements for current storage devices.
History of Storage Magnetic Tape Used for data, video, and audio Cheap, Ideal for backup Floppy Same technology as tape Cheap, small storage size, portable Hard Drives Faster than tape storage Still evolving
History of Storage Optical Compact Disc Introduced in 1982 Still the de facto standard for physical audio DVD Initially intended for Audio/Video use HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Evolution of DVD format Format war won by Blu-Ray Still evolving Holographic Storage Potential Replacement Technology
Holographic Storage - HVD's Holographic Versatile Disc Potential to replacement technology in current domains of magnetic and optical storage technology. Resembles Optical Discs similar to CD or DVD Much high data density then current optical disc technology Can read and write data in parallel allowing for much higher data transfer speeds
Holographic Storage - HVD's Uses a reference beam and a data beam to create an interference pattern. Write Sequence: the intersection of the two beams causes a change, which is then stored Read Sequence: actions of the reference beam and stored interference pattern is recreates the data beam
Holographic Storage - HDV's Demonstration
Reasons for Developing Holographic Storage Replacement as a backup media Higher data density than tape and current Hard Drives Data is stable for an estimated 50 years without degrading Faster read and write speeds Replacement for DVD Higher data density than Blu-Ray Faster read and write speeds Higher ceiling for max data storage capability Increasing resolutions for TVs will require more storage for movies and games
Benefits of Holographic Storage Theoretical data storage of >1TB/cubic centimeter Current technology can store approximately 4TB on a DVD sized disc Data longevity Data security WORM (Write-once read-many) prevents data from being overwritten Faster Read/Write speeds Data can be read and written in parallel instead of linearly Higher speeds are necessary as storage amounts increase
Drawbacks of Holographic Data Storage Not a guaranteed market leader If another technology becomes the industry standard then read/write equipment will be hard to find Expensive development Existing technology is becoming better and cheaper It is difficult to market a product that is more expensive per GB of storage.
Where Holographic is Headed
Market Players General Electric In the process of developing a new holographic optical storage disc, which would support up to 500GB of data. GE is also looking to produce a holographic medium able to store more than 1 Terabyte of data.
Market Players continued... Introduced the world's first commercial holographic drive and media. Tapestry 300r 300GB Capacity WORM recording format Out of Business
Market Players continued... Developed by Optware Lack of moving parts when played creates advantage over discs. Claims to have write speeds that were 3 times faster than Blu-ray Projected launch date was the first half of 2007, but still is not available. Holographic Versatile Card
Where Holographic Storage is headed Developed by inphase, Aprilis, Optware, GE Aprilis website hasn't been update in over 2 years The advancements in existing technologies forced companies into niche markets that required large data storage and fast read/write times Nintendo has investments in Holographic storage tech At current time the future of holographic storage is bleak As existing techologies hit their peak the market may open back up for holographic storage
Potential Competitors Similar technologies that may end up in a "format war" UV or X ray discs Utilizing a laser with a smaller wavelength allows for greater storage 3D optical discs Stores data in three dimensions for greater data density
Conclusion In conclusion, Holographic Storage has the advantage over other storage mediums as it relates to: Storage Capacity Transfer Rate Backup Its main disadvantage is its cost of ownership. Keep in mind, when Blu-ray was Introduced in 2006, a 25- gigabyte disc cost nearly $1 a gigabyte. Its about half the cost now. Overtime, the overall cost of holographic data storage should decrease to an acceptable amount.
Works Cited Holographic Versatile Card http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/holographic_versatile_card Holographic Data Storage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/holographic_data_storage Holographic Versatile Disk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/holographic_versatile_disc Holographic Data Storage http://www.pctechguide.com/36storage_holographic_data_storage.htm
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