Nanoteknoloji
Zeki Depolama Ortamları – Kristaller İnsanlığı Nasıl Kurtarabilir
Veri Depolamanın Evrimi
Recording data was crucial to civilization’s founding. In fact, the invention of written records defined the separation between the prehistorical and historical periods. From early cuneiform clay tablets and papyrus scrolls to medieval books and the printing press, improvements in writing methods and technology have been transformative to human societies.
Bugün, her zamankinden daha fazla veri kaydediyor ve işliyoruz. Ancak paradoksal olarak, depolama ortamlarımız giderek daha kırılgan hâle geliyor. Örneğin, artık disk çürümesi, ya da CD çürümesi olarak bilinen, bir kompakt diskin (CD) yansıtıcı tabakasının bozulması sorunu hakkında bilgi sahibiyiz. Muhtemelen bu depolama aygıtlarının çoğu, müze arşivleri dahil, sadece birkaç on yıl içinde okunamaz hâle gelecektir. Aynı problem DVD ve Blu‑ray gibi diğer optik depolama yöntemlerini de etkiliyor.
Kaynak: Digital Scrapbooking Storage
Benzer şekilde, sabit diskler elektromanyetik dalgalara karşı çok hassas olabilir, bu yüzden dünyanın büyük bir kısmındaki veriler yeterince güçlü bir güneş fırtınası ya da EMP tarafından silinebilir.
Bu nedenle, vellum, papirüs ya da kil üzerine yazılmış el yazmalarıyla kıyaslandığında, modern bilgi sadece birkaç on yıl ya da bir yüzyıl sürecek ve bir felaketin bir adım uzakta olduğu bir durumdadır.
Neyse ki, araştırmacılar çok daha dayanıklı veri depolama teknolojileri üzerinde çalışıyorlar. Ve ilginç bir şekilde, bu teknoloji bilim kurgu dizilerindeki uzay gemilerinde gördüğümüz kristal türüne çok benziyor olabilir.
Kaynak: RPF
Kristallerin Dayanıklılığı
Most materials degrade in time, whether it be advanced engraving on silicon wafers or paper/animal skins. However, mineral crystal is one type of structure that stays remarkably stable for millennia, if not millions of years.
Bu, kristallerin atom seviyesinde son derece katı bir şekilde düzenlenmiş ve yapılandırılmış olmalarından kaynaklanır. Bu, onları kırmaya başlamak için büyük lifler arasındaki bağları ya da bir silikon atomunun elektromanyetik yükünü azaltmak yerine atom seviyesinde kırmanız gerektiği anlamına gelir.
Kaynak: Britannica
Bu, kristalleri ısı, mikroorganizmalar veya elektromanyetizma kaynaklı hasara karşı son derece dirençli kılar.
Bu özellikler, Southampton Üniversitesi’nden Prof. Peter Kazansky‘nin kristal veri depolama geliştirmesine yol açtı. Kendisi yakın zamanda insan genomunun tamamını böyle bir kristalde kaydetti.
Kaynak: University of Southampton
And in the long run, it might become a way to store the total sum of human knowledge for almost eternity.
“Kristal üzerine işlenen görsel anahtar, bulana içinde hangi verilerin depolandığını ve nasıl kullanılabileceğini gösterir.
Yoğun veri düzlemlerinin üzerinde, anahtar evrensel elementleri (hidrojen, oksijen, karbon ve azot); DNA molekülünün dört bazını (adenin, sitozin, guanin ve timin) moleküler yapılarıyla; DNA’nın çift sarmal yapısındaki konumlarını; ve genlerin bir kromozoma nasıl yerleştiğini gösterir, bu da bir hücreye yerleştirilebilir.”
5D Kristaller
The way they did it is by leveraging the 3D nature of crystals. They record the data in the crystal using ultra-fast lasers to precisely inscribe data into nano-structured voids within silica crystal – with feature sizes as small as 20 nanometres.
Kaynak: ZME Science
This goes contrary to most data recording currently used, which mostly records data on a 2D plan, either paper, magnetic tape, or silicon wafer.
Instead, they record the data in all the depths of the crystal (3D), as well as add another layer of data density by adding to the 3D spatial dimension 2 optical dimensions.
İkiz Kırınım
In theory, “simple” 3D data storage using the spatial position of the nanoscopic void in the crystal could be enough. However, it would require much larger crystals or limit the data volume that can be held per crystal.
So the researchers also leverage a phenomenon dubbed “birefringence”. It means that the material redirects light differently depending on the light polarization. This allows us to multiply the data storage density 8x.
By recording data with tighter focusing optics and shorter wavelength light, it is possible to achieve a spatial (3D) densification similar to that in Blu-Ray discs, involving a pit size of less than 200 nm.
Combined with the fourth and fifth dimensions provided by birefringence, which allow a single pit to store eight bits (one byte) of information as opposed to one, it would be possible to achieve an unprecedented capacity of hundreds of terabytes in a single 12cm-diameter disc.
Aşırı Dayanıklılık
Not only this would be as dense of data storage as Blu-rays, but it would also be a lot more durable. The crystal used is equivalent to fused quartz, one of the most chemically and thermally durable materials on Earth.
It can withstand the high and low extremes of freezing, fire, and temperatures of up to 1000 °C. The crystal can also withstand a direct impact force of up to 10 tons per cm2 and is unchanged by long exposure to cosmic radiation. It is similarly unaffected by intense electric currents.
Uygulamalar
Kalıcı Arşivler
While ultra-durable, such a data storage system is not rewritable. So we should not expect this sort of technology to be part of our computers any time soon.
It is also likely not as quick or easy to read as optical disks, so it makes for a poor medium in the case of data we want to consult often.
It is, however, the perfect storage format for archives that we want to preserve unchanged for an ultra-long period of time. So this could be a great system for storing many types of information that do not change over time and are important enough to be worth the effort:
- Tarihsel ve arkeolojik kayıtlar.
- Edebiyat, müzik ve genel olarak sanat.
- Bilimsel bilgi, bilim tarihinden bilinen matematik, kimya, fizik, biyoloji vb. veri bankalarına kadar.
- Finansal veriler, bu tür bir depolama muhtemelen merkezi olmayan blokzincir ağlarından bile daha dayanıklı olabilir.
- Yedekleme programları ve diğer BT sistemlerinin temel verileri.
Felaket Sigortası
The human genome data recently recorded on the 5D crystal is going to be stored in the Memory Of Mankind archives. This is a special time capsule within a salt cave buried 2km deep in Hallstatt, Austria.
Dağın jeolojisi, MOM arşivinin doğal bir fenomenle tamamen kapanmasını sağlayacak: tuz, herhangi bir boşluğa yılda 2 cm hızla “akarak” ilerleyecek. Bu, arşivi en büyük tehditten koruyacak; insan kendisi.
Its goal is the archiving of human memory, from testimonies and stories collected by individuals to the documentation of technology, as well as for example the locations of nuclear or toxic waste repositories.
Previously, Memory Of Mankind relied on high-tech ceramic to store text and images permanently with a goal to be readable in 1 million years. It will also contain a very extensive deciphering tool to explain our language.
20×20 cm boyutundaki bir Seramik Mikrofotografik tablet, 5 milyon karaktere kadar taşıyabilir; bu da 5×400 sayfalık kitaplara eşittir. Seramik Mikrofotografik bir kitap, basılı versiyona göre hacminin 1/200’ü kadar yer kaplar.
Nesli Tükenmiş Türlerin Genetik Verileri
Some data can also never be restored when lost. This is true not only for human achievement but also for the natural world.
Örneğin, nesli tükenmiş ya da nesli tehlikede olan türlerin genetik verileri bu kadar uzun ömürlü bir şekilde arşivlenebilir (olmalı).
Considering the creation of a synthetic bacterium by Dr Craig Venter’s team in 2010, and the current effort to resurrect mammoths, it is not far-fetched to imagine in a few decades or centuries efforts being made to recreate from scratch such extinct species.
Derin Uzay Keşfi
Pr. Kazansky and his team took inspiration from the Pioneer spacecraft plaques which were launched by NASA on a path to take it beyond the confines of the Solar System.
Kaynak: Space.com
5D kristal, yıldızlararası bilgi aktarımı için, veri kaybı minimum seviyede olacak şekilde kullanılabilir. Bu aslında zaten yapılmıştı, daha çok bir pazarlama numarası olarak, Asimov’un Foundation Trilogy adlı bilim kurgu klasiğini içeren bir 5D kristal, 2018’de uzaya gönderilen Tesla Roadster’a yüklendi.
Some imaginative thinkers even consider that this could be a way for mankind to explore the stars even without fast travel methods. A ship could be sent with the data and machines required for creating human embryos “from scratch”, and give birth to new colonists in far distant stars.
Veri Depolamaya Yatırım
5D crystals are, for now, a very new technology, also being developed by the private company 5D Memory Crystal / SPhotonics, spun off from the University of Southampton. However, other companies are exploring how to make data storage technology far more resilient than our current methods.
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Veri Depolama Şirketleri
1. Twist Biosciences
(TWST )
The company specializes in DNA synthesis, leveraging miniaturization methods from the semiconductor industry, saving time and money for researchers.
It is also working on creating DNA-based data storage that could be used to safeguard data independent from electronic systems. So maybe advanced data storage technologies could be using DNA itself, besides crystals.
This miniaturization allows us to reduce the reaction volumes by a factor of 1,000,000 while increasing throughput by a factor of 1,000, enabling the synthesis of 9,600 genes on a single silicon chip at full scale.
Kaynak: Twist Biosciences
In January 2023, the company started shipping products from its recently launched second manufacturing installation. The new factory should double Twist’s production capacities.
With its advanced DNA and RNA synthesis capability, Twist could quickly become a major aptamer manufacturer if the market for anti-clotting products grows.
As a “neutral” producer focused on providing the best nucleic acid sequences at the best price, it could be a manufacturing partner of choice for any pharmaceutical company looking to commercialize useful nucleic acids, like data storage or anti-clotting aptamers.
2. Pure Storage
(PSTG )
It is entirely possible that one day we rely on DNA or 5D crystal storage for safeguarding critical data. But until then, it is likely that our need for extra data storage will be through the usual silicon-based solution.
Pure Storage is a leader in the “Storage-as-a-Service” (STaaS) market. It is growing quickly (18% year-to-year) with already 12,500+ global customers (up from 9,000+ in 2022), including Meta, Comcast, Domino’s Pizza, and NASA.
Kaynak: Pure Storage
Pure Storage is also supporting many AI projects from SiriusXM, AutoNation, Health Genome Center 2030, Crater Labs, etc.
The key advantage of the company is based on its FlashArray and FlashBlade technology, which is outperforming compared to hard drives, by storing the data on flash memory drives.
Its systems consume 2-5x less power and space than existing hard drive systems and are 10x more reliable.
Kaynak: Pure Storage
As 1-2% of the global energy consumption comes from data centers, reducing by 80% storage-related energy consumption can have a massive impact.
Pure Storage started mostly as a hardware manufacturer but has slowly evolved into a cloud service provider with full turnkey offers.
Pure Storage will likely benefit in the upcoming years from the rise of AI combined with the need to reduce the IT industry energy consumption, as illustrated for example with the recent deal of Microsoft to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant.
