2.5 quintillion-this is the number of bytes of data we produce globally every day. The classic large server rooms we're used to seeing are no longer viable, so the race is on to find a way to store more data in less space. We explore two approaches to the future of data storage: firstly with a visit to Cambridge to see how a European-wide group of scientists is using synthetic DNA to store data, and the potential is mind-boggling-you could store 2.2 million gigabytes in two grams of DNA, or put another way, all the digital information on the planet in a shoebox. DNA is stable to a point and can last for thousands of years, but a group of scientists in Southampton have developed a way of transferring information into glass in a five-dimensional shape. You could store 360,000 GB in a tiny sliver of glass and it could last for billions of years.

Originally released by CNN, 2016. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on March 28, 2019.

Data Storage: Introduction and History (2:55); --Bioinformatics (4:14); -- Physical Optoelectronics (4:21); .