News

5D Storage Technology Can Fit 500TB On A Small Disc

This method could theoretically be used to archive data for as long as 13.8 billion years.

Published

4 years ago

November 5, 2021

5d storage technology can fit 500tb on a small disc

While most consumers today are perfectly satisfied with the capacity and reliability of modern solid-state drives (SSDs), various organizations that are required to archive massive quantities of data are deeply aware of the limitations of not just SSDs but other currently available storage technologies as well.

Soon, they might be able to store up to 500TB of data on a CD-sized disc thanks to a new energy-efficient laser-writing method for producing high-density nanostructures in silica glass. Called five-dimensional (5D) optical data storage, this method could theoretically be used to archive data for as long as 13.8 billion years, and the optical discs produced by it can survive temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees Celsius.

“With the current system, we have the ability to preserve terabytes of data, which could be used, for example, to preserve information from a person’s DNA,” said Peter G. Kazansky, leader of the research team behind the new data storage technology.

superman memory crystal 5d optical storage

5D optical data storage isn’t actually an entirely new invention, but its practical applications were greatly limited in the past because of its slow write speed. To improve it, the research team from the University of Southampton in the UK used a femtosecond laser to produce an optical phenomenon known as near-field enhancement, minimizing the thermal damage that prevented earlier researchers from making 5D optical data storage truly usable.

Also Read: Japan Sets A New Internet Speed Record With 319 Terabits Per Second

“This new approach improves the data writing speed to a practical level, so we can write tens of gigabytes of data in a reasonable time,” said doctoral researcher Yuhao Lei. By a reasonable time, Lei means about 100 pages of text (roughly 230 kilobytes of data) per second.

When you compare that figure to the writing speeds of modern SSDs (anywhere from 200 megabytes per second to 4,000 megabytes per second), it becomes apparent that regular consumers won’t be replacing their storage drives with it anytime soon.

News

AltoVolo Opens Orders For Limited Edition Sigma eVTOLs

Early buyers can now reserve build slots for AltoVolo’s 500-mile hybrid aircraft through a new online configurator.

Published

6 days ago

November 1, 2025

Nour Nasir

AltoVolo

AltoVolo has started taking pre-orders for its first electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the Sigma, moving the startup closer to commercial rollout. Customers can now secure a build slot with a £860 deposit and customize every detail online — from paintwork to seatbelt stitching. It’s the first configurator of its kind for a civilian eVTOL, mirroring how luxury car brands let clients tailor performance models before production.

The Sigma runs on a hybrid-electric tilting jet system built for long range and low noise. It can travel up to 500 miles at a 220-mph cruise, and is over 80% quieter than a helicopter. The three-seater weighs just 980kg and can maintain stable flight even if one jet fails. Safety systems include triple-redundant controls, thrust-vectoring stability and a ballistic parachute.

“We will be delivering an ultra-refined hybrid electric aircraft,” said founder and CEO Will Wood. “We believe there are thousands of customers for this type of cutting-edge technology”.

The first 100 units will come with exclusive materials and finishes. AltoVolo is also setting up a global service and maintenance network, with early planning for overhaul schedules already underway. The company’s focus on ownership experience echoes its ambition to anchor itself alongside established aviation brands rather than pure tech ventures.

To help new owners train, the company has built a full-scale simulator that replicates the Sigma cockpit in carbon fiber and leather. Pilots can log time toward a license using the system, aligned with the new US MOSAIC rules that ease certification for powered-lift aircraft. Certification work in Europe and the UK continues in parallel, signaling growing international alignment around light sport and eVTOL regulation.

Also Read: Snapchat Opens Qatar Office To Deepen Gulf Presence

Noise inside the cabin has become another design focus. Engineers are refining internal vibration levels and developing a responsive soundscape that shifts with each jet’s power load — part feedback, part theatre.

Urban air mobility projects across the Gulf and elsewhere are pushing regulators and manufacturers to meet in the middle. Dubai, Riyadh and Doha have each outlined plans for air taxi corridors this decade. AltoVolo’s hybrid Sigma, sitting between electric promise and aviation realism, looks built for that middle ground.