UW study uses DNA to store digital data

Chetan Sharma

Chetan Sharma Jul 5, 2025

Jan 12, 2018

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                <h1>UW study uses DNA to store digital data</h1>
                <h2><p>Today, digital data is stored in hard drives, flash drive and, increasingly, large data centers. In the future, it could be stored the same way humans store our biological data: in DNA.

Researchers at the University of Washington successfully stored and retrieved pictures and video from DNA strands. If this</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/csharma-kcts9-org/">Chetan Sharma</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Jan 12, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Today, digital data is stored in hard drives, flash drive and, increasingly, large data centers. In the future, it could be stored the same way humans store our biological data: in DNA.</p><p>Researchers at the University of Washington <a href="https://www.washington.edu/news/2016/04/07/uw-team-stores-digital-images-in-dna-and-retrieves-them-perfectly/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">successfully stored and retrieved</a> pictures and video from DNA strands. If this system of data storage can work on a larger scale, data which currently fills a Walmart store could fit inside a sugar cube, the University says  in a statement. Microsoft believes this system could make it easier to store data in the future, if costs come down.</p>
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Today, digital data is stored in hard drives, flash drive and, increasingly, large data centers. In the future, it could be stored the same way humans store our biological data: in DNA.

Researchers at the University of Washington successfully stored and retrieved pictures and video from DNA strands. If this system of data storage can work on a larger scale, data which currently fills a Walmart store could fit inside a sugar cube, the University says in a statement. Microsoft believes this system could make it easier to store data in the future, if costs come down.

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By Chetan Sharma

Chetan is an editorial intern at Crosscut. He is a senior at the University of Washington studying Civil Engineering and Urban Planning. He's previously worked as a journalist at KUOW and an engineer