What will be the future of storage technologies with this relentless evolution? And with Artificial Intelligence making its dramatic entry into the digital world, what can we expect?
The form of storage has changed since 1956
In 1956, IBM released its very first IBM RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accouting and Control) 305. The idea was based on the realization that with computing, there would be a great need for storage. The IBM RAMAC in its early days had a capacity of 5 MB, a very small amount you might say, but that was the 1950s. In 1998, IBM made a quantum leap with the Deskar 25 GPa 25 GB disk, was closer to our contemporary hard disks.
Over time, the shape and capacity of storage spaces have evolved. Almost 50 years later, at the beginning of the 2010s, the question of writing and reading speed was added to the problems of storage. This explains the arrival of SSD, which will play a major role among video game enthusiasts. Indeed, gamers monopolize the hard disk market. Gamers are always hungry for storage, and are taking advantage of the constant improvements in hard disk drives. The greater the storage capacity, and the faster the read and write speeds, the better off they are.
Developers must now focus on two things to create an efficient hard disk: storage capacity and read/write speed.
Hard disk: how could AI change things?
Artificial Intelligence is gaining ground in the computing world. Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania have taken the first step towards integrating AI into the creation of a hard disk drive. These researchers have invented a chip that will analyze the data present in the disk to accelerate storage speed. Neural networks, one of the many strengths of AI, will be exploited in this case.
Data saved on a metal layer will be inspected by the AI chip. It will optimize the storage processor. This reduces data loss and increases reading and writing speed. And these are just some of the advantages, as from now on it will be possible to own a high-performance, intelligent hard disk drive at a reasonable price. The only existing prototype is well guarded in the research laboratories of Carnegie Mellon University in the USA.