Hi All,

For those worried about future storage/backup the IBM "Millipede" 
announced at CeBIT seems to be the item to cover the bases with ultra 
high storage densities, if not very high read/write speeds, if I read 
the full article correctly!
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[Dan Ilett of ZDNet UK reported from Hannover, Germany]

 HANNOVER, Germany--IBM tantalized chip aficionados at CeBit here last 
week with a storage device that it says can achieve data densities of 
more than 1 terabit per square inch.

The MEMS prototype can hold the equivalent of 25 DVDs on an area the 
size of a postage stamp, IBM said. MEMS stands for 
micro-electrical-mechanical system.

IBM researchers in Zurich, Switzerland, have affectionately named the 
device the Millipede because it has thousands of very fine silicon tips 
that can "punch" individual bit patterns onto a thin film of polymer. 
The Millipede uses the tips to create pits, or bit patterns, 
approximately 10 nanometers wide to represent the stored data. IBM says 
that the principle is similar to the older technology of data punch 
cards, but the Millipede can also erase and rewrite data.

"A single Millipede can hold 600,000 digital camera images on something 
the size of a postage stamp, which is quite exciting," said an IBM 
spokesman. "I think this represents a new and realistic way to store 
huge amounts of data on a small device."

A Millipede has more than 4,000 tips within a square that's 6.4 
millimeters on a side. The device works by heating the tips and stamping 
a pattern onto the polymer.

IBM said in 2002 that it was working on the Millipede. Hewlett-Packard 
also is developing tiny memory chips that store large quantities of 
data. At CeBit last week, it demonstrated the mechanics of the chip 
through a video microscope that showed how the polymer surface moves 
across the tips.

The device is suited for mobile gadgets such as digital cameras, mobile 
phones and USB sticks, IBM said. However, it is still in the research 
stage and will not be available for at least two years.

"We're some way from making it available to the consumer," IBM added. 
"We've no plans to bring it to market for a couple of years."
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Technical details are on an IBM webpage at:

http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/rd/443/vettiger.html>

-- 
Regards,
Mike

Failed the exam for
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MCSE - Minesweeper Consultant and Solitaire Expert
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