A DNA-Based Archival Storage System

TLDR

Demand for data storage is growing exponentially, but existing media cannot keep pace; DNA offers extreme density (1 exabyte/mm³) and longevity (half‑life > 500 years), and biotechnology trends suggest it will soon be practical for large datasets. This paper presents an architecture for a DNA‑based archival storage system and proposes a new encoding scheme that offers controllable redundancy, trading reliability for density. The system is a key‑value store that leverages common biochemical techniques for random access, and the encoding scheme is designed to balance redundancy and density. Feasibility, random access, and robustness were demonstrated with wet‑lab experiments on 151 kB of synthesized DNA (including a 42 kB random‑access subset) and simulations of larger sets calibrated to those experiments.

Abstract

Demand for data storage is growing exponentially, but the capacity of existing storage media is not keeping up. Using DNA to archive data is an attractive possibility because it is extremely dense, with a raw limit of 1 exabyte/mm3 (109 GB/mm3), and long-lasting, with observed half-life of over 500 years. This paper presents an architecture for a DNA-based archival storage system. It is structured as a key-value store, and leverages common biochemical techniques to provide random access. We also propose a new encoding scheme that offers controllable redundancy, trading off reliability for density. We demonstrate feasibility, random access, and robustness of the proposed encoding with wet lab experiments involving 151 kB of synthesized DNA and a 42 kB random-access subset, and simulation experiments of larger sets calibrated to the wet lab experiments. Finally, we highlight trends in biotechnology that indicate the impending practicality of DNA storage for much larger datasets.