DNA storage is coming, it’s just a matter of when not if – SNIA quietly unveils the first specifications for storing bytes in DNA medium, an important first step towards nearly ultra-cheap, unlimited storage
Data can soon be stored in DNA. French startup Biomemory has already shipped a DNA storage device to the general public. Now the DNA Data Storage Alliance, a technology affiliate of the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), has unveiled the first specifications for storing vendor and CODEC information in a DNA data store.
Unlike traditional storage media such as tape, HDD and SSD, DNA lacks a fixed physical structure, requiring a unique mechanism for reading or ‘booting’ a DNA archive.
The SNIA DNA Archive Rosetta Stone (DARS) working group has developed two specifications, Sector zero And Sector oneso archive readers can find the order to start booting the data.
To come closer
Sector Zero provides the minimum information the archive reader needs to identify the CODEC used to encode Sector One and the company that synthesized the DNA. Sector One contains information such as a description of the contents, a file table, and parameters to be transferred to a sequencer.
“A key goal of the DNA Data Storage Alliance is to establish and publish specifications and standards that enable an interoperable DNA data storage ecosystem to grow,” said Dave Landsman, DNA Data Storage Board Member Alliance.
While there is still a long way to go before DNA storage becomes the norm, Landsman believes we are much closer to that than you might think. “With the publication of the Alliance’s first specifications, we are taking an important step toward achieving that goal,” he said. “Sector Zero and Sector One are now publicly available, allowing companies working in space to adopt and deploy.”