When it comes to the future of long-term data storage, Ilya Kazensky isn’t just a participant, he’s actively building the hardware that could redefine the landscape entirely.
As CEO of SPhotonix, Kazensky is behind the 5D Memory Crystal, a seriously durable, high-density data storage platform that stores terabytes of information in nanostructures inside fused silica glass.
With origins in research from Professor Peter Kazansky’s lab and a track record that already includes a SpaceX launch cameo and a Mission: Impossible appearance, SPhotonix is no stranger to attention. But for Kazensky, media buzz is second to what really matters: making data storage scalable, sustainable, and future-proof.
While competitors like Microsoft’s Project Silica and Cerabyte are also racing to crack the cold storage problem, SPhotonix claims a lead in volumetric density and durability. It uses cheap, abundant materials to do what magnetic tape and cloud warehouses can’t: store humanity’s data for a thousand plus years in a format that fits in the palm of your hand.
We got the chance to talk with Kazensky about what “5D” really means, how his product ended up in a Tom Cruise blockbuster, and what it will take to move this tech from sci-fi to server rack.
- What exactly is the 5D Memory Crystal? Why call it 5D rather than 4D?
The 5D Memory Crystal is a next-generation data storage technology that uses femtosecond lasers to write data inside quartz glass at an incredibly high density (up to 10GB per cubic millimetre), making it the highest density data storage device available. This is achieved by creating billions of nano-scale structures, almost like bubbles (voxels) within the glass, arranged across many layers of depth.
Each of these nanostructures doesn’t just store a simple binary value (0 or 1) like in traditional computing. Instead, each structure can hold up to 256 different states, which is the equivalent of 8 bits per voxel. This is possible because the voxels can vary in two optical properties, similar to how a clock’s hand can point in different directions and move at different speeds.
The term 5D refers to the three spatial dimensions of the glass (X, Y, Z), plus the two additional optical dimensions used to encode data within each voxel. Traditional 3D or 4D systems don’t capture this optical complexity which is why we call it 5D.
In addition to its technical capabilities, the 5D Memory Crystal also offers economic and environmental benefits. It uses cheap, durable materials, making it cost-effective and scalable for long-term, high-volume data storage which is particularly valuable in an age of ever-growing digital data demands.
The technology holds the Guinness book of world record for the most durable data storage system.
- How did it end up featuring in Tom Cruise’s blockbuster action movie?
Since its inception by Professor Peter Kazansky in 2013 we’ve had lots of media interest in both the crystals and the technology behind it.
We were involved in the SpaceX launch at the Tesla Roadster, Elon Musk has mentioned us a number of times, along with widespread coverage across Global publications.
Our assumption is that the writers for Mission: Impossible came across it and thought it made a good addition to the plot for the film – which it does!
- Sphotonix is one of many startups planning to launch an exotic petabyte-scale alternative to tape. What makes you different compared to say Cerabyte or Project Silica from Microsoft?
Amongst all of these technologies, the thing we all have in common is the need to address the urgent, growing need for scalable and sustainable long-term data storage. This is particularly pertinent as traditional cloud infrastructure, essentially warehouses full of physical hardware, reach their physical and environmental limits.
What sets SPhotonix apart is how we address that need:
High data density: With our technology, we are able to offer the highest volumetric data density among emerging technologies. This is critical for both cost efficiency and space-saving at scale, which becomes increasingly important as global data volumes continue to expand thanks to the increased use of AI and other data tools.
Proven materials: Our crystals are made from fused silica glass, a low-cost, proven, and highly durable material, giving us a significant advantage in terms of unit economics and lifespan. Unlike traditional hardware, these glass drives don’t degrade in the same way, offering robust, future-proof performance.
Technical differences: While Cerabyte is strong in low-energy data writing, and Project Silica has made strides in hardware through a collaboration that originated in Professor Kazensky’s lab (we collaborated with them for over two years), SPhotonix is positioned to deliver a scalable cloud-scale alternative to magnetic storage by replacing physical hard drives with high-density glass discs. This approach is complementary, not competitive, and we see a future where these technologies coexist or are even integrated for different use cases.
SPhotonix combines unmatched data density, low-cost durable materials, and a platform-first approach, all focused on solving the challenges of cloud-scale, long-term data storage in a sustainable and collaborative way.
- What sort of performance are we looking at?
We are on the final path to developing a scalable capability that enables the storage of up to 10gb per mm cubed.
Our crystals have a life span of 1,000 years plus with read and write speeds that are on par with incumbent cold data storage technologies such as LTO tape.
Our 5D Memory Crystal utilizes nano etching technology which can currently store up to 360TB of data on a 5-inch glass platter. Earlier this year we used our technology to back up the full human genome.
- What about timelines, future iterations and costs (both for the media and the drive)?
Our direct to consumer business is already accessible for those that want to enjoy the capabilities. Customers are choosing to use it to store DNA, computer games, memories of loved ones, photos and more for those who want to store things on something that is super durable and future proof. When they want the data they send it back to the lab to be retrieved.
This isn’t about trying to build things that you put in your house or play movies from. We are building data storage that eliminates the expensive cycle of moving and rewriting data to the next generation.
We are aiming for the product to start being adopted by main players in the data-storage eco system within the next four years, with smaller deployments before this. The cost of the drive and media will bring very significant cost savings for hyper scale data storage applications.
- What are the current challenges to a rapid roll out of 5DMC?
We have a clear road map and know exactly what needs to be done to solve the challenges we face.
These include the need to finalize improvements in the write and read speed which will enable us to take our development to the right technology readiness level for it to be ready for enterprise deployment.
We’re already operating at an industrial grade level – we’re not there commercially just yet, but we’re not far off and we are working closely with industry leaders to make it happen in the shortest possible timeframes.
