Surge of Big Data and Emergence of DNA Storage System

There is no denying of the fact that data has become the most valuable asset of the 21stC and it’s safe to say that “Those who knows the data owns the future�, according to the most up to date estimation the total amount of data created, captured, copied and consumed globally is close to around 64.23 zettabytes in 2020 [1]. This projection had estimated to grow to more than 180 zettabytes in 2025. Now we ask ourselves, will we be able to suffice the growing unprecedented need of data storage with the technologies we have right now? The answer, is “No�. Silicon has serious limitations and limited data storage which can’t keep up with the growing need of data, data storage density and capacity of silicon chips is also limited. The solution to this inevitable problem lies within us. The DNA itself is the greatest storage saving device on earth because after decades, centuries of research and science we have been able to develop SD cards, HDD’s and SSD’s, compare to DNA they are nothing. As the Harvard paper points out, the theoretical maximum data storage of DNA is 455 Exabyte’s per gram [2]. Less then 150 grams of DNA can store entire data present on this planet. This paper aims to highlight the extension and limitations of DNA digital data storage system and emphasizes the on going research in this field.