Atlas Eon 100.Atlas Data Storage
A US-based biotechnology company has launched the Atlas Eon 100, the first scalable service utilizing synthetic DNA for data preservation.
Announced on December 2, it was developed by Atlas Data Storage, the market leader in synthetic DNA data storage.
The company is translating conventional digital data (ones and zeros) into the actual genetic code of life. It’s tiny, powerful, and built on the four letters of life: Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G), and Thymine (T).
The new system can store files, photos, and videos for far longer periods than conventional computer storage media, including CDs, DVDs, hard drives (HDs), and SSDs.
“Atlas is proud to be the only company in the world delivering storage products based on DNA technology at scale,” said Bill Banyai, Founder of Atlas Data Storage.
“This is the culmination of more than ten years of product development and innovation across multiple disciplines. We intend to offer new solutions for long-term archiving, data preservation for AI models, and the safeguarding of heritage and high-value content,” Banyai added.
Immortal archive
DNA is, quite simply, nature’s “most enduring format.” It uses the immense density and durability of the synthetic DNA molecule to store digital information.
The Atlas Eon 100 uses dehydrated synthetic DNA to store data, a medium that can last for millennia without power or migration.
Think about that longevity. While standard magnetic tape must be replaced every 7-10 years, this synthetic DNA is engineered to be permanent.
Who needs data to last centuries? Everyone, apparently. It can archive a wide range of valuable personal and cultural assets, including family photo collections, time-capsule messages, estate documents, “gold copies” of digital art, manuscripts, movies, paintings, interviews, and music.
The new storage system is remarkably compact, offering a density 1,000 times greater than traditional magnetic media.
Furthermore, the data is encoded in a universal, time-tested format (DNA), guaranteeing long-term accessibility and providing unparalleled durability.
Also, the data is easy to copy and transport, providing significant logistical advantages over existing solutions.
As per the website, it has a reliability of “99.99999999999 percent.”
Overcoming storage challenge
The longevity of traditional digital storage media is severely limited.
Hard drives face motor failure and density limits within 10 years, while optical discs (CDs/DVDs) degrade rapidly due to dye breakdown or corrosion, typically failing within 25 years.
Modern Flash memory is vulnerable to unavoidable electron migration that is accelerated by temperature, significantly limiting its lifespan to 1-10 years.
The launch addresses the accelerating demand for ultra-long-term digital preservation.
Data growth is exponential. Conventional storage is struggling to keep up, resulting in a massive environmental footprint and a big logistical burden. DNA storage offers a clean, ultra-dense, and sustainable alternative.
It could be used by museums, governments, and cultural heritage organizations to secure artifact scans, oral histories, and endangered languages for centuries.
Enterprises can preserve mission-critical assets, including product histories, corporate records, and AI explainability datastores. Additionally, research institutions will protect foundational datasets, such as climate data and scientific imagery.
The Atlas Eon 100 is just the beginning; it is the first offering in a product line designed to deliver terabyte-scale DNA storage over time.
The Blueprint