In today’s hyper-digital world, every business relies on data. The amount of business data is growing rapidly, especially with the advent of advanced technologies like data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and AI, which both generate and utilize massive volumes of data.
This data is potentially important, and it’s critical, now more than ever, to secure it in an efficient, reliable, and safe manner. To store data, you need storage solutions to effectively access, organize, manage, share, and use vital information.
While your computer does have storage capability, it’s limited and saved to a device, so it can only be used while the device is on and remains until deleted. To store your data for the long term, you need data storage solutions.
The storage devices are mainly divided into two groups:
- Direct area storage (DAS)
- Network-based storage
DAS is directly connected to the computing machine accessing it, and while it can provide decent local backup services, sharing is rather limited. Devices in this category include diskettes, flash drives, and optical discs such as CDs and DVDs.
Now, network-based storage is the option best used for data sharing and collaboration, as it allows multiple computers to access data through a network. Network-based storage setups are primarily of two types: network-attached storage (NAS) and storage area network (SAN).
NAS involves a device connected to a network. Here, data storage and retrieval are made from a centralized location. This affordable network storage option allows multiple users to store and share files over a TCP/IP network through Wi-Fi or a cable.
SAN is a specialized, high-speed network that connects shared pools of storage devices to multiple servers. It involves multiple devices of various kinds, which include:
A solid-state disk (SSD) is a type of hard disk that is faster than traditional ones that use flash memory and flash drives, which are electronics-based options where data can be updated by erase or write operations. Hybrid storage, meanwhile, involves a blend of different types of storage: flash storage, SSDs, and mechanical disk drives (HDDs).
Cloud storage is another cost-effective and scalable method because data is stored virtually and, as such, requires access to the Internet or a private network. Hybrid cloud storage uses different clouds, public, private, and hybrid, for different workloads.
Developing New Technology to Store Digital Data More Efficiently
Despite all these options, the world is seeking more efficient solutions in the face of a digital universe projected to add about 175 zettabytes of data annually by 2025. A growing group of researchers is now advocating for DNA as a stable and sustainable option to meet this demand.
Already, DNA is being explored for data storage, though it is still in its early stages, with a market size of only $70 million. However, it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of more than 80% by 2032.
DNA data storage is exactly what it says: storing digital data in DNA (or deoxyribonucleic acid), the molecule that carries genetic information for an organism’s development and functioning.
To create DNA, four different nucleotides—Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G), and Thymine (T)—combine to form a double helix structure, where two linked strands wind around each other.
When storing data in DNA, the binary data is encoded in synthesized DNA strands and then decoded from them. DNA is known for being stable, dense, and having the capability to last a long time. These qualities make DNA an attractive storage medium.
“Synthetic DNA has the potential to store orders of magnitude more data than today’s devices, and in a manner that promises to be much more sustainable.”
– Karin Strauss, Senior Principal Research Manager at Microsoft Research
Besides storing data, DNA has also been explored for computing. For many decades now, DNA computing has been the subject of research and development due to offering the benefits of scalability, durability, and energy efficiency, among others.
Back in 2019, researchers from Microsoft and the University of Washington unveiled the first fully automated system for storing and retrieving data using synthesized DNA. This involved encoding ‘hello’ in the molecules of synthetic DNA created in the lab and then converting it back.
Recent breakthroughs in molecular computing suggest we may even be able to run entire computer networks inside living cells in the near future. While DNA storage has actually been around for a while now, the new study showcases the first functional molecular computer capable of both storage and computing via DNA instead of using electricity.
Earlier this year, engineers at the University of Minnesota and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) found a way to process data stored in DNA. This “microfluidic integrated circuit” is designed to operate via artificial neural network computations on data stored in DNA. According to paper co-author Amlan Ganguly:
“We are in the age of big data that needs to be stored somewhere.”
He also noted that building more data centers is not the answer because each one requires construction, maintenance, and operation, which is not sustainable.
This study proposed representing numbers through the concentrations of solutions containing specifically manipulated DNA molecules. This manipulation would represent computing operations such as addition, multiplication, and other nonlinear functions essential for performing network computations.
A couple of years ago, Mark Bathe, an MIT professor of biological engineering and his colleagues, also showcased a way to pick out the desired file from a mixture of many pieces of DNA. To do that, the researchers encapsulated each data file into a 6μm particle of silica, labeled with short DNA sequences that reveal the contents.
Source: MIT News
Discussing DNA’s vast potential to meet the soaring demands of storing massive amounts of data, Bathe noted its intriguing property of not consuming any energy once the DNA polymer is created. You simply write the DNA and store it indefinitely.
Researchers have even proposed using DNA’s stability and durability to encode digital data in order to secure and protect digital assets.
More researchers and organizations are investigating DNA’s potential for storing data and computation. The global data storage market currently stands at $217 bln and is forecasted to reach a whopping $777.98 bln by the end of this decade.
DNA-Based Computing Breakthrough Revolutionizes Data Storage
In the latest study, published in Nature, researchers from Johns Hopkins University and North Carolina State University demonstrated a technology with data storage and computing functions using DNA instead of electronics.
This technology can repeatedly store, retrieve, compute, erase, or rewrite data. While previous DNA storage and computing tech have been able to perform some of these tasks, they couldn’t complete all of them.
“In conventional computing technologies, we take for granted that the ways data are stored and the way data are processed are compatible with each other.”
– Albert Keung, the study lead and an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State
He also added:
“But in reality, data storage and data processing are done in separate parts of the computer, and modern computers are a network of complex technologies.”
Given that DNA-based data is stored in the form of nucleic acids, DNA computing has been struggling with how to store, retrieve, and compute it.
What makes electronic computing attractive is that all the components of a device are compatible. But with DNA data storage, that’s not the case. While DNA-based data storage offers long-term benefits, it’s believed that developing a DNA technology that can cover the full range of operations that are found in traditional electronic devices would be either difficult or impossible to achieve.
Now, the latest study demonstrates that these DNA-based technologies are actually “viable because we’ve made one.”
This was achieved with the help of recent techniques that have enabled the creation of soft polymer materials with unique morphologies. According to the co-corresponding author of the paper, Orlin Velev:
“Specifically, we have created polymer structures that we call dendricolloids — they start at the microscale but branch off from each other in a hierarchical way to create a network of nanoscale fibers.”
In 2019, research from North Carolina State University showed that different polymers precipitated from solutions under special conditions can create unique, soft dendritic particle materials with distinct adhesive (like those of gecko feet, which allow them to stick to just about any surface) and structure-building properties.
At the time, Velev shared using ‘liquid’ nanomanufacturing to convert polymers into branched particles after dissolving the polymer and mixing the solution rapidly with another liquid. This rapid mixing in turbulent flow, an inherently chaotic process, created branched particles in hierarchical structures.
NC State also filed a patent on the soft dendritic materials as well as the process for creating them.
Now, for the DNA storage solution study, the structure they have created has a high surface area, allowing the researchers to deposit DNA among the nanofibrils. This was achieved without sacrificing the data density, making DNA attractive for data storage.
“You could put a thousand laptops’ worth of data into DNA-based storage that’s the same size as a pencil eraser.”
– Keung
The paper’s first author, Kevin Lin, a former Ph.D. student at NC State, stated that the ability to differentiate between DNA information and the nanofibers it’s stored on enables performing many of the same functions that one can with electronic devices.
According to him, the DNA information can be copied directly from the surface of the material without harming the DNA itself. Besides the ability to erase targeted pieces of DNA and then rewrite them to the same surface, the study found that depositing DNA on the dendricolloid material actually helped preserve the DNA.
Velev noted that with the study, they are “providing the equivalent of microcircuits,” and the dendricolloidal material provides the circuit board.
This new DNA-based storage and computing technology, called a “primordial DNA store and compute engine,” is also capable of solving simple sudoku and 3 × 3 chess problems. Testing suggests that the technology could store data securely for thousands of years. On top of that, “the dendrocolloidal host material itself is relatively inexpensive and easy to fabricate,” as per Velev.
Companies Involved in DNA Data Storage and Computing
Given the importance of data and the need for more efficient solutions, several companies are looking into DNA data storage, computing, and molecular technologies. For instance, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) provides comprehensive solutions for DNA sequencing and molecular biology, while Agilent Technologies (A) focuses on DNA-based technologies, and Pacific Biosciences of California (PACB) specializes in long-read sequencing technology. Then there’s Helixworks Technologies, which has created programmable DNA data storage material to encode data files or small applications directly into an object’s molecular structure.
Now, we’ll take a more detailed look at two prominent names in this field. Both of these firms, along with Microsoft, Western Digital, and several other member institutions, formed the DNA Data Storage Alliance. The alliance aims to address digital data growth by delivering a low-cost, sustainable archival data storage solution using DNA and exploring its early commercialization.
#1. Twist Bioscience Corporation
This company specializes in synthetic DNA and heavily focuses on DNA data storage technologies. With a market cap of $2.57 billion, Twist Bioscience’s shares are currently trading at $43.98, up 19.32% YTD. Its EPS (TTM) is -3.81, and its P/E (TTM) is -11.53.
For Q2 of 2024, the company reported revenue of $75.3 million, which is an increase of 25% from the same quarter last year. Gross margin also increased to 41% compared to 31%. Meanwhile, about 193,000 genes were shipped during the period. $293.3 million was reported in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments.
“We remain steadfast and focused on our path to profitability.”
– CEO and Co-founder Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D.
#2. Illumina
This one is a leader in sequencing and array-based solutions, which are essential for DNA data processing and storage. With a market cap of $20.77 billion, Illumina’s shares are currently trading at $130.42, down 6.33% YTD. Its EPS (TTM) is -19.18, and its P/E (TTM) is -6.80.
For Q2 of 2024, the company reported revenue of $1.09 billion, down 6% from 2Q23. Its GAAP operating margin was 40.5%, and its non-GAAP operating margin was 22.2%. At the end of the quarter, $994 million was held in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments.
“The Illumina team delivered results ahead of our expectations in the quarter, driven by disciplined execution on our strategic priorities.”
– CEO Jacob Thaysen
Conclusion
The growing digitalization of the world means digital data is poised for exponential growth. This explosion of data is set to far exceed the capacity of existing storage technology, driving the need to explore and adopt new solutions like DNA storage.
As the new study demonstrated, ongoing breakthroughs are making it possible to achieve a full suite of data storage and computing functions. These operations include storing data, moving data, and the ability to read, rewrite, erase, reload, or compute specific data files—all in programmable and repeatable ways without degrading the DNA.
DNA, a remarkable molecule found in every living cell, offers extremely high density, making it the perfect long-term storage solution (not just for hundreds but thousands of years). This points to its vast potential in transforming the world of storage and computing.
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