borosilicate glass

Borosilicate glass is a key material in Microsoft Research's Project Silica, an archival storage system that uses femtosecond lasers to etch data as three-dimensional voxels inside glass plates. This approach promises terabyte-scale capacity and longevity measured in ten-thousand-year timescales, addressing practical trade-offs that previously limited the technology. Discussions on WindowsForum cover the transition of Project Silica from laboratory curiosity to a demonstrable archival system, highlighting how borosilicate glass enables durable, high-density data storage for long-term preservation.