Storing digital content in DNA is an emerging technology that takes advantage of the molecule’s density, durability, and low power needs. DNA can last for generations, unlike NAND flash and HDDs that degrade in years or decades, at best. It also offers a data capacity about 100 million times higher than typical data storage systems. However, retrieving data from DNA storage is a complex and rather slow process. Good news, a breakthrough made by Israeli researchers speeds up the activity by 3,200 times, reports TechXplore.

A team at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology has created an AI tool that makes retrieving digital information stored in DNA dramatically faster and more accurate. The system, named DNAformer, is 3,200 times faster than the most accurate previous methods and is claimed to deliver excellent results, showing promise for efficient, large-scale data storage using biological material. It is still too slow for the commercial market, but the researchers believe that they are moving in the right direction.

This new approach allows for processing 100MB in only 10 minutes, compared to several days using the best current methods. On a test involving 3.1MB, the tool handled several types of content: a still image in color, a short sound recording of Neil Armstrong on the Moon, a text about DNA’s storage advantages, and randomly generated data mimicking encrypted or compressed files.

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