SOLON, Ohio, August 30, 2022 — Folio Photonics, a leading pioneer in immutable active archiving, today announced that it has achieved a significant breakthrough in multi-layer optical storage disk technology that will achieve a level unprecedented cost, safety and durability. advantage. Leveraging patented advancements in materials science, Folio Photonics has developed the first economically viable, enterprise-scale optical storage drives with dynamic multi-layer write/read capabilities, which will enable the development of storage on low-cost/high-capacity disk.
“Folio Photonics is well on its way to generating much greater data densities than was thought several years ago,” said John Monroe, principal analyst at Furthur Market Research and former group vice president analyst. Data Center Infrastructure at Gartner. “Using next-generation materials, patented polymer extrusion, and film-based disc construction processes (distinct from simple optical lamination), in concert with custom optical pickup units (OPUs), Folio Photonics seems set to deliver new optical technology that allows eight or 16 layers of film per side per disc, compared to only three optical layers per side per disc for archival discs today, with a roadmap to add layers additional over time.
Data growth is overwhelming existing storage technologies, and today’s outdated enterprise storage technologies are failing to address the three main issues of cost, cybersecurity, and durability. The high cost of storage is unsustainable with the explosion of data growth, cyber threats continue to escalate and data centers are a major contributor to energy/water consumption and CO2 emissions. Current hard disk drive (HDD) and LTO tape roadmaps reflect insufficient technological advancement to meet user needs and desired prices in the future.
Folio’s technological milestone proves the feasibility of its materials, manufacturing and optics and takes the company from the research phase to product development. With drive availability slated for 2024, Folio multi-layer drive capacity is expected to start at 10TB per cartridge (1TB per drive) with an aggressive roadmap for multi-TB capabilities. Roadmap is enabled by adding layers due to its easily scalable polymer co-extrusion process as well as significant increases in capacity per layer.
“Our talented team of engineers – under the leadership of Founder and CIO, Dr. Kenneth Singer – has pioneered a new approach to optical storage that overcomes historical constraints and puts unheard-of storage advantages within reach. cost, cybersecurity and sustainability,” said Steven Santamaria, Folio Photonics. CEO. “With these advantages, Folio Photonics is poised to reshape the trajectory of archival storage.”
Folio Photonics optical discs will provide a powerful combination of revolutionary features that will make data archives ACTIVE:
Folio Photonics is well positioned to be a leader in the $10 billion+ archival storage market12.68+2 Zettabytes in 2025. It plans to start with adoption in the immutable active archive use case and grow to become a standard for all archive data. Folio’s manufacturing advantages leave room for significant margin and channel/partner profitability and position the company for sustainable growth and continued investment in the business.
“Archival storage data represents up to 80% of all data by industry estimates, and Folio Photonics is in a strong position to be a leading player in this large and rapidly growing market,” said Fred Moore, president of Horison Information Strategies. “Archival data is typically immutable, presenting itself as ‘write-once’ and requiring immutability. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and big data analytics are increasing business and accessibility requirements for archival storage systems. As a result, the demand for immutable active archives will only increase as immutability and higher performance requirements reshape the explosive secondary storage paradigm.
Unlike tape, Folio Photonics ACTIVE archive storage will provide random access to archives to ensure efficient data retrieval. Unlike HDD, its ACTIVE archive storage is immutable by design™ and offers a 5x lower acquisition price – around $25/TB for HDDs and less than $5/TB for Folio. Folio Photonics drives are highly durable and save 80% energy compared to hard drives. Additionally, its ACTIVE archive storage is not vulnerable to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks, provides an air gap to ensure cybersecurity, and offers a 100-year media lifespan.
“Folio’s next-generation storage media will radically reduce upfront cost and total cost of ownership while making data archives active, cyber-secure and durable – an ideal combination for data centers and hyperscale customers.” We believe it will disrupt and reinvigorate the multi-billion dollar data storage industry with its breakthrough financial and sustainability advantage,” Santamaria added.
Remarks
1 Folio Photonics projection based on report by Fred Moore, Horison Information Strategies, Reinventing Archival Storage2021.
2 Folio Photonics projection based on report by John Monroe, Further Market Research, The Growing Challenge of Preserving Enterprise Data2022.
About Folio Photonics
Folio Photonics reinvigorates storage media innovation with the first-ever, enterprise-scale, immutable active archiving solution that delivers breakthrough cost, margin, and sustainability benefits. Leveraging groundbreaking advances in materials science to create dynamic multi-layered write/read capabilities, Folio’s technology overcomes historical optical constraints to reshape the trajectory of archive storage. Ideal for data centers and large-scale customers, Folio’s next-generation storage media radically reduce upfront costs and total cost of ownership while making data archives active, cyber-secure and durable.
Folio Photonics and its licensed technology originated from Case Western Reserve University and its National Science Foundation Center for Layered Polymeric Systems by Dr. Singer. Current investors include Material Impact, Refinery Ventures, Early Stage Partners, Pavey Investments and JobsOhio Growth Capital Fund.
To learn more, visit the Folio Photonics website.
Source: Folio Photonics
