The Storage Platform
FemtoEtch™ - Capacity at scale. Built around retained data.
FemtoEtch™ platform - an ecosystem solution to active-archival storage scalability: information recorded throughout glass and recovered through optical readout.
Decoupling media from read and write – by design
Sub 15s TTFB library latency*
250TB Single glass platter media*
$0.14/TB media cost*
Fast random optical access
*2031 development targets, subject to technical validation and industrial qualification. Media cost excludes writing, reading, robotics and system infrastructure.
A place for data you need to keep and use again.
Designed for retained datasets where capacity, durability and lifecycle cost matter more than millisecond response times.
Active compute
Latency-sensitive workloads
Fast storage serves immediate computation and production access.
Retained data
SPhotonix intended workload fit
Active-archival data stored for future use with fast random access
$35 – 250 TB capacity target for product roll-out*
~70%
of modelled enterprise capacity is active or archive data that never needs millisecond access – the tier glass is built for.
250 TB*
per platter, targeted for 2031. Volumetric recording combines multiple optical states per voxel with hundreds of layers inside fused silica.
~15 s
target time to first byte in a robotic library, with true random access to any voxel – a needed tier that doesn't exist.
0 W at rest
The glass medium requires no power to retain recorded data. Writing, reading, robotics and supporting systems consume energy during operation.
*Targets for 2031 mass deployment
AI datasets
Keep the source. Preserve the versions.
Store and retain data for future use, analysis and reproducibility.
Enterprise data
Retain records with continuing value.
Support long retention needs across business records and content.
Science and media
Maintain collections over time.
Store data whose useful life extends beyond its initial creation.
Planned integration with S3-compatible storage interfaces.
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One medium for active and archive data
Active-archival AI storage retrieval needs seconds, at random – existing technology delivers minutes, in a queue or sub-second without scale. Glass fills the gap.
Active
Retrieval in seconds
Retained data that AI workloads call back at random – reached in seconds rather than queued for minutes.
Archive
Preservation without upkeep
Long-term records kept with no power, no climate control and no migration cycles.
At Scale
Built for the rack, not the shelf
Hyperscalers and storage OEMs operate in exabytes. The medium is designed to be handled that way: dense, passive and addressable, so it fits majority of uses – without refresh cycles, idle power draw or supply queues.
01
Platter
A 5-inch fused-silica platter, 2 mm thick, with hundreds of voxel layers written through its volume
02
Library
Platters stack like cartridges – passive, unpowered, with no humidity or temperature budget. Written once, they are never rewritten or migrated.
03
Reader
A shared polarization camera and ML decoder services the library: no heads, no spooling, no contact. Random access, under 15 seconds to first byte.
04
Storage tier
Racks of glass present as an active-archive tier behind your existing storage stack – drawing power only while a platter is being read.
250 TB*
Per platter at target density – up to 10 GB/mm³*
0 W at rest
No spin, no cooling, no climate control between reads
0 migrations
No refresh cycle for the life of the tier
Existing Library Integration
Adapted library, SPhotonix optoelectronic modules
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- 1
Adapted housing, robotics & shelves
- 2
Glass media platters
Specific dimensions TBD – drop-in slot form factor.
- 3
Robotics – unchanged
Same pick-and-place, handles glass.
- 4
Write modules
Femtosecond-laser writer; imprints data into glass.
- 5
Read modules
Optical / polarization reader; decoupled from write path, built into robotics for faster access
- 6
Controller & host I/O
Largely reused.
Density.Permanence.Scale.
250 TB per Platter*
Up to 8 bits per voxel, hundreds of layers deep through a 5-inch platter – around 10 GB/mm³*, the densest practical medium in the industry.
Engineered Sand
The medium is fused silica – abundant, inert and stable for millennia. Written once, scaled quickly, powered never – retained data changes at exabyte scale.
Zero Energy at Rest
No power, no cooling, no climate control. A storage tier that sits in a rack drawing nothing between reads – no idle spin, no humidity budget.
Designed to Reduce Media Refresh
Long-lived glass media is designed to reduce repeated copying caused by media ageing. Reader hardware, software and data formats still require lifecycle management.
Random Access in Seconds
Polarization imaging and machine-learning decoding enable direct optical access to recorded data. Our 2031 library target is under 15 seconds to first byte, including robotic handling.
Our technology makes costs predictable.
Scalable useful capacity, performance, density, durability and system utilisation all shape storage economics. Our technology and R&D roadmap address these together.
Today
5D Memory Crystal™
Ultra-durable data storage today, while advancing the technology toward data-centre deployment.
2028
FemtoEtch™ Pilot
Active and archival storage systems deployed in data-centre pilots with industry partners.
2031
FemtoEtch™ Scale
Industrial-scale storage infrastructure engineered for hyperscale AI data centres.
Development targets are subject to technical validation and industrial readiness.
Write once. Read on demand. Scale without migration. Talk to us about a future pilot for your data centre.
Build the next generation of storage with us.
Talk to our team