Project Silica rival plans to launch 500GB Proof-of-concept medium in 2026 — but questions remain about speed, durability, and cost
Optera develops 500GB glass-based optical storage using photoluminescence, building on earlier nanoparticle experiments, while technical and cost uncertainties persist.
- Optera uses photoluminescence instead of lasers for long-term optical storage solutions
- Spectral hole burning encodes data by manipulating nanoscale phosphor lattice imperfections
- Multi-bit encoding allows several bits to be stored per physical location on the medium
Dr Nicolas Riesen at the University of South Australia is leading the development of an optical storage archive that records data through photoluminescence instead of physical laser etching.
The technology operates at room temperature and uses relatively low-cost lasers instead of the femtosecond systems used in some competing glass-based archives.
The initial implementation of this archive is a 500GB proof-of-concept medium planned for 2026, and it represents the first step toward higher-capacity glass-based storage.
From discs to glass tablets
An earlier related technology developed by Dr Nicolas Riesen explored spectral hole–based optical storage using different nanoparticle materials.
This work provides the foundation for the current 500GB glass tablet proof of concept, showing a progression from disc-focused experiments to higher-capacity archival formats.
Optera’s goal is to deliver long-term data retention with lower energy requirements, although the project remains experimental.
The recording medium used by Optera is based on a mixed halide fluorobromide or fluorochloride phosphor doped with divalent samarium ions.
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This material, known as Ba₀.₅Sr₀.₅FX:Sm²⁺, has a long history in computed radiography imaging plates, where photostimulated luminescence is well understood.
In Optera’s system, nanoscale imperfections in the crystal lattice are deliberately controlled to change how the material emits light after exposure to specific laser wavelengths.
Data writing relies on spectral hole burning, where narrow wavelength bands are selectively altered within the phosphor.
When a laser scans these regions during readout, the material either emits photoluminescence or suppresses it.
The detected light signal, or the absence of one, represents stored digital information.
This method avoids physically reshaping the medium, but it introduces sensitivity to optical stability and read precision that independent testing has not yet confirmed.
Optera suggests it can raise storage density by encoding information through variations in light intensity instead of relying only on binary on or off states.