Imagine a digital library where the books are made of ceramic and never decay. Instead of using hard drives that need power and replacement every few years, this system uses lasers to etch data into ceramic layers. Once written, the information stays there forever without needing any electricity to keep it safe.
Cold data storage is currently expensive and energy-intensive, requiring hardware replacements every 3-5 years. This creates high operational costs and a significant carbon footprint for data centers.
A ceramic data storage system featuring a compact laser writer and a modular media handler for moving carriers between robotic storage and the read/write prototype.
If you are a cloud provider dealing with massive amounts of cold data that rarely change — this project developed a ceramic storage system that reduces energy and CO2 emissions by up to 99%. It allows you to stop replacing hardware every 3-5 years, lowering the total cost of ownership by 95%.
If you are an archive dealing with records that must be preserved for centuries — this project developed ceramic nanolayers that enable an unlimited storage timespan. This ensures data integrity without the constant energy cost of traditional digital servers.
If you are a hardware manufacturer dealing with the shift toward sustainable infrastructure — this project developed a laser writing and reading mechanism compatible with current data center standards. It targets a component market expected to grow to €136.9 bn by 2030.
Based on available project data, the technology can lead to a 95% reduction in the total cost of ownership compared to mature storage technologies.
The project has reached TRL6 with a fully functional demo-system launched in October 2023 and is now focusing on testing in operational environments and living labs.
The base patent for ceramic data carriers is granted in the EU, USA, RUS, AUS, CAN, PRC, TW, SK, JP, and IN, covering 77% of global GDP.
The systems are designed to be fully compliant with current data center standards and are intended to combine with existing robotic storage systems.
The project runs from December 2024 to November 2026, targeting a market that is projected to grow to €136.9 bn by 2030.
The project is led by a single German SME, Cerabyte GmbH, which maintains 100% industry ratio. This lean structure suggests a highly focused commercial drive, supported by an EU contribution of EUR 2,499,999 to move from a TRL6 demo to operational validation.
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