2025 Mar 14, 17:30
Biomemory, a French startup, has made history by becoming the first company to release a DNA storage device to the general public. Priced at €1,000 and with a capacity of 1KB, this device serves as more of a proof of concept than a practical storage solution. The card comes pre-loaded with a read-only message: the motto of the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. To store your own data, simply purchase the card and send your text to Biomemory, who will provide a free sequencing process through Eurofins Genomics. Keep in mind that this process is destructive, meaning you will lose one DNA card
However, Biomemory provides two copies for this exact reason. The physical DNA storage medium is a black circle with a diameter of about 8mm, encased in a brushed metal slab the size of a credit card. The card itself is roughly 4mm thick and weighs around 30g. Apart from storing it in a safe place, there is no other practical use for the card. Future iterations of Biomemory's DNA storage device are expected to have greater capacities, different formats, and faster speeds. For instance, they plan to launch a 100PB self-enclosed DNA card by 2026, costing $150,000
By the end of this decade, an impressive 1,000PB (one Exabyte) card is projected to be available. Comparatively, the current cheapest storage media - LTO tapes - cost approximately $4 per TB, meaning a 100PB storage solution would cost around $400,000. However, this does not include costs associated with physical storage, power consumption, and tape handling. Biomemory's CEO, Erfane Arwani, claims that the device offers write speeds of 3MB per second using a separate reading module. This equates to roughly 11GB per hour or 96TB per year. Although it would take a millennium to fill a 100PB card, advancements in read/write speeds are expected to significantly reduce this timeframe
While the DNA storage medium itself remains constant (as DNA is immutable), the interface is likely to evolve, similar to how interfaces and ports have changed over the years. Considering the immense growth of global data production and emerging use cases like generative AI, DNA storage is poised to be the future of data storage. Tech giants such as Microsoft and Seagate are already exploring the potential of DNA storage, indicating that this market may soon become more mainstream. In fact, 2024 could be the year when DNA storage truly reaches maturity. With its unprecedented capacity and reliability, DNA storage may outperform other storage media like ceramic, glass, holograms, and silicon.