Digital preservation professionals continually scan the horizon for developments that may impact their stewardship strategies. A recent report from the National Academies titled "Rapid Expert Consultation on Archival Data Storage Technologies for the Intelligence Community (2024)" provides a timely overview of current and emerging data storage technologies. This post highlights some key technical insights relevant to those responsible for long-term digital preservation.
Current Landscape and Challenges
The report begins by confirming what many of us already experience firsthand: the exponential growth of archival data. Today, approximately 30-35% of all stored data is categorized as "cold," meaning it’s rarely accessed but must be preserved long-term. This data growth is expected to continue, amplifying the need for efficient, durable, and cost-effective storage solutions.
Mature Storage Solutions
Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) remain a cornerstone of archival storage, with advances like Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) poised to significantly increase storage capacities to around 100 TB per unit in the coming years. HDD technology is robust, widely supported, and continues to see declining costs, making it a viable option for large-scale storage. However, reliability concerns for long-term storage (10+ years) may require specially engineered drives.
Magnetic Tape, a longstanding archival medium, continues to offer compelling advantages for "cold storage." It boasts excellent durability (up to 30 years when stored properly), provides strong physical security with inherent air-gap capabilities, and remains highly cost-effective at scale. The latest tape formats (such as Linear Tape Open, or LTO) offer substantial improvements in density and reliability, ensuring tape’s role in preservation remains prominent.
Limitations of SSD and MRAM
NAND-based Flash Solid-State Drives (SSDs) are highly effective for active storage needs due to their speed and reliability, but they face significant challenges as a long-term archival medium. Their limited lifespan, cost implications, and data retention challenges (with typical off-power retention times as short as one year) limit their use in archival scenarios.
Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM) excels in speed and durability for critical, frequently accessed data but is not optimal for archival storage due to cost and capacity limitations. However, it may serve niche roles requiring rapid recall.
Promising Emerging Technologies
Several novel technologies are under active development, potentially shaping the future archival landscape:
- DNA Data Storage offers extraordinary data density and durability (potentially thousands of years). Currently, the technology is slow and costly (over $100,000 per GB), but ongoing research aims to dramatically reduce costs and increase feasibility.
- Silica Storage (Project Silica) leverages glass as a stable, electromagnetic-proof medium offering extremely long lifetimes with minimal environmental impact. Silica storage promises to be highly scalable and cost-effective, with broader commercial availability anticipated by the early 2030s.
- Ceramic Data Storage (Ceramic Nano Memory) utilizes nanoscale ceramic coatings on glass substrates, offering extreme durability and resistance to environmental damage, potentially storing data indefinitely without the need for migration.
These emerging solutions are exciting and worth watching closely, though they currently have lower technological readiness and are not yet suitable for large-scale deployments.
Systems Thinking for Long-Term Success
Beyond individual storage technologies, the report emphasizes the critical importance of system-level engineering. Effective long-term digital preservation systems must incorporate redundancy, efficient migration strategies, robust error-correction mechanisms, and security-focused architectures. Storage solutions should be engineered not only around the lifespan of storage media but also the reliability of their supporting hardware and software environments.
Final Thoughts
The National Academies’ report provides a valuable snapshot of current trends and challenges facing the archival storage community. As stewards of digital collections, understanding these technological landscapes enables us to make informed decisions, ensuring our ability to reliably preserve and provide access to vital information for decades to come. To explore these insights in more detail, access the full report via the National Academies Press.