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DNA: The Future of Data Storage with Unmatched Density and Longevity

May 08, 2025
DNA data storage data density long-term storage human genome molecular structure
DNA has emerged as a revolutionary data storage medium, capable of storing up to 215 petabytes of data in a single gram, offering immense potential for long-term archival storage.

DNA: The Future of Data Storage with Unmatched Density and Longevity

Video: Is DNA the future of data storage? - Leo Bear-McGuinness

DNA has emerged as a revolutionary data storage medium due to its incredible density and longevity. A single gram of DNA can theoretically store up to 215 petabytes (215 million gigabytes) of data. This is because DNA encodes information in a highly compact molecular structure.

In the context of the human genome, which consists of approximately 3.2 billion base pairs, storing this data in a digital format would require about 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of storage. This is because each base pair can be represented by 2 bits of information (A, T, C, G), and the total data can be compressed efficiently.

DNA data storage is still in its experimental stages, but it holds immense potential for long-term archival storage, especially for large datasets. Researchers are actively working on improving the encoding, synthesis, and retrieval processes to make this technology more practical and scalable.

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Sources

DNA as a data storage medium: how many GB can a human ... A human genome contains 2 bits/basepair*3 billion basepairs = 6 billion bits. Divide by 8 billion to convert to GB, so a human genome could store 0.75 GB.
How much storage would be required to store a human genome? Yes, the minimum storage space needed for whole human DNA is about 770 MB. However, the 2-bit representation is impractical. It is hard to ...
How Much Data Can Be Stored In Your DNA? - YouTube Merely 1 gram of DNA holds the potential to store a staggering 460 exabytes of data, surpassing the combined capacity of tech giants like ...