Diamond wafer can store 25 exabytes

A Japanese company has announced diamond wafers capable of storing up to 25 exabytes. However, the storage medium is designed for quantum computers rather than traditional PCs.

While computers improve slightly with each new generation of hardware, basic research occasionally deals with major alterations in the present technology. Quantum computers are a probable future advance, and a new storage medium for them was recently described.

Adamant Namiki Precision Jewel, a Japanese business, appears to have succeeded in establishing a process for the industrial manufacturing of huge diamond wafers.

Specifically, two-inch (55-mm) diameter discs with only three nitrogen atoms as contaminants for every billion carbon atoms need to be created. Only slightly smaller, square diamond accumulators with an edge length of 4 mm had previously been available with this level of clarity.

According to the theory, the greatly larger size should provide for a massive storage capacity. In theory, the wafer should be able to handle the capacity of one billion Blu-Ray discs.

That equates to 25 exabytes, putting the storage density at about 86,000 Gbit/mm2. As an example: NAND flash currently has a capacity of roughly 10 GBit/mm2.

Unfortunately, the wafers will not be found in any commercially accessible computer in the near future. Instead, the diamond discs, which will be available next year, will be focused on quantum computers. It remains to be known to what extent such a massive storage capacity can be stored using present (quantum computer) technology.