Microsoft can now store data for 10,000 years on everyday glass thanks to laser breakthrough

A close up of an array of lenses, mirrors and lasers sitting on a table.

Breakthrough improvements to Microsoft's glass-based data-storage technology mean ordinary glassware, such as that used in cookware and oven doors, can store terabytes of data, with the information lasting 10,000 years.

The technology, which has been in development under the "Project Silica" banner since 2019, has seen steady improvements, and scientists outlined the latest innovations today (Feb. 18) in the journal Nature.