DNA-based data storage is being developed as a solution to the emerging data storage problem facing our digital society. It is estimated that by 2020, 1.7 MB of data will be created per second per person globally, resulting in 418 zettabytes of data in a single year. Our current data storage technologies face limitations such as longevity (>100 years) and enormous energy requirements.

The stability of DNA and its ability to store large amounts of data, which surpasses any technology we currently have, makes it a promising prospect for data storage. DNA data-storage is not a far-off concept. Research in this area is underway, including at the University of Washington and Microsoft Research, who previously created a system for writing, storing, and reading DNA encoded with data. However, several challenges remain for this technology including affordability and increasing the speed at which the data can be encoded and read.