The amount of global data is growing exponentially - how do we keep up?
Date: 30th March 2025
Date: 30th March 2025
Data storage is an essential component of modern life; a method of preserving all digital information, ensuring its accessibility and security for future use. In our increasingly digital world, the data storage industry is the backbone of the global economy, and as data becomes one of the world’s most valuable resources, it plays a critical role in all modern computing and business operations. But every second, an unimaginable amount of new data is generated - more than we can realistically store with current technology.
How much data is there in the world?
By current estimates, the amount is somewhere around 150 zettabytes, and the global volume of data created, captured, copied, and consumed is projected to rise to 181 zettabytes by the end of 2025 and to more than 394 zettabytes over the next five years (one zettabyte is the equivalent of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes). According to Statista, 402.74 million terabytes of data are generated daily, and 90% of all the data in the world is estimated to have been created in the past two years.
This growth is driven mainly by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), increasing digitization, the use of IoT devices, real-time data processing, and cloud-based storage. AI and machine learning, the billions of smart devices generating constant streams of data, faster networks allowing more data generation and sharing, and the trend of big businesses collecting and analysing massive datasets has resulted in the volume of data stored globally doubling approximately every four years. There is no end in sight for all this data being created, and storage technologies will have to keep up. Businesses, governments and individuals alike are having to rethink how they store, manage, and protect data to keep up with the explosion of information.
What does this mean for the future of data storage?
While the amount of data in the world is growing at an exponential rate, the data storage industry has become a massive and rapidly evolving field. The global data storage market was valued at USD 186.75 billion in 2023, and is projected to grow from USD 218.33 billion in 2024 to USD 774.00 billion by 2032. The growing volume of big data, resulting from the increased digitization of businesses and the global economy, means that the data storage market is witnessing a rise in demand - a demand which is outpacing the current storage capacity.
While storage technologies are constantly evolving, companies in the data storage industry are facing a variety of challenges, from scalability to cost and energy consumption, not to mention possible security threats and issues with regulatory compliance.
Indefinitely storing all data ever created is unsustainable, which means some of it will have to be discarded. As for storing the rest, there are many challenges to overcome. Both on-premises storage and cloud storage is expensive, and costs can be unpredictable. The environmental impact of data centres and their cooling systems, which consume vast amounts of electricity, are leading many companies to adopt sustainable storage solutions under pressure to reduce their carbon footprint. As the amount of data continues to grow, current storage technologies will not be able to keep up with future data demands. This is why innovation and advancements in data storage technology are crucial.
Specialising in long-term data storage, we are reshaping the future of data archiving by addressing the fundamental challenges facing the industry and making it more secure, scalable and sustainable. With our pioneering 5D Memory Crystal technology, developed leveraging decades of research in photonics and utilising proprietary nano-structuring technology FemtoEtch™ to store up to 360TB data securely on a 5-inch quartz crystal for thousands of years, SPhotonix is at the forefront of data storage innovation. Specializing in long-term, durable storage solutions for industries and consumers that prioritise ease of use, our innovation offers a groundbreaking approach to preserving data for billions of years in a way that meets future storage demands without compromising the planet.
How much data is there in the world?
By current estimates, the amount is somewhere around 150 zettabytes, and the global volume of data created, captured, copied, and consumed is projected to rise to 181 zettabytes by the end of 2025 and to more than 394 zettabytes over the next five years (one zettabyte is the equivalent of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes). According to Statista, 402.74 million terabytes of data are generated daily, and 90% of all the data in the world is estimated to have been created in the past two years.
This growth is driven mainly by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), increasing digitization, the use of IoT devices, real-time data processing, and cloud-based storage. AI and machine learning, the billions of smart devices generating constant streams of data, faster networks allowing more data generation and sharing, and the trend of big businesses collecting and analysing massive datasets has resulted in the volume of data stored globally doubling approximately every four years. There is no end in sight for all this data being created, and storage technologies will have to keep up. Businesses, governments and individuals alike are having to rethink how they store, manage, and protect data to keep up with the explosion of information.
What does this mean for the future of data storage?
While the amount of data in the world is growing at an exponential rate, the data storage industry has become a massive and rapidly evolving field. The global data storage market was valued at USD 186.75 billion in 2023, and is projected to grow from USD 218.33 billion in 2024 to USD 774.00 billion by 2032. The growing volume of big data, resulting from the increased digitization of businesses and the global economy, means that the data storage market is witnessing a rise in demand - a demand which is outpacing the current storage capacity.
While storage technologies are constantly evolving, companies in the data storage industry are facing a variety of challenges, from scalability to cost and energy consumption, not to mention possible security threats and issues with regulatory compliance.
Indefinitely storing all data ever created is unsustainable, which means some of it will have to be discarded. As for storing the rest, there are many challenges to overcome. Both on-premises storage and cloud storage is expensive, and costs can be unpredictable. The environmental impact of data centres and their cooling systems, which consume vast amounts of electricity, are leading many companies to adopt sustainable storage solutions under pressure to reduce their carbon footprint. As the amount of data continues to grow, current storage technologies will not be able to keep up with future data demands. This is why innovation and advancements in data storage technology are crucial.
Specialising in long-term data storage, we are reshaping the future of data archiving by addressing the fundamental challenges facing the industry and making it more secure, scalable and sustainable. With our pioneering 5D Memory Crystal technology, developed leveraging decades of research in photonics and utilising proprietary nano-structuring technology FemtoEtch™ to store up to 360TB data securely on a 5-inch quartz crystal for thousands of years, SPhotonix is at the forefront of data storage innovation. Specializing in long-term, durable storage solutions for industries and consumers that prioritise ease of use, our innovation offers a groundbreaking approach to preserving data for billions of years in a way that meets future storage demands without compromising the planet.
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