{"id":890584,"date":"2026-03-06T06:23:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T06:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.electronicsweekly.com\/?p=890584"},"modified":"2026-03-06T11:18:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:18:33","slug":"imec-accelerates-dna-data-storage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.electronicsweekly.com\/news\/business\/imec-accelerates-dna-data-storage-2026-03\/","title":{"rendered":"Imec accelerates DNA data storage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Imec and Atlas Data Storage, a specialist in production-scale DNA data storage, have joined forces to to accelerate the development of digital data storage using synthetic DNA.<\/p><div class=\"elect-content\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"elect-1526592522\"><div id=\"x02\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"> if ($(window).width() <= 768) { googletag.display('x02'); } <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>The collaboration combines Atlas\u2019 ASIC design expertise and scalable DNA synthesis technology with imec\u2019s expertise in advanced chip development, fabrication, and integration. In addition to prototyping and strategic support, imec is investing in Atlas.<\/p><div class=\"elect-test\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"elect-252313118\"><div id=\"DFP-EW-InRead1\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"> if ($(window).width() > 768) { googletag.display('DFP-EW-InRead1'); } <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<BR>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>As data creation and storage accelerates in the AI age, magnetic media such as tape and hard disk drives face unavoidable limits in density, sustainability, cost, and long-term reliability.<\/p><div class=\"elect-post-content-2\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"elect-747799591\"><div id=\"DFP-EW-InRead1-Mobile\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"> if ($(window).width() <= 768) { googletag.display('DFP-EW-InRead1-Mobile'); } <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h2>DNA data storage<\/h2>\n<p>DNA data storage compresses vast datasets into tiny volumes while ensuring ultra-long durability with minimal energy and maintenance.<\/p>\n<p>DNA, nature\u2019s most compact and durable information storage medium, has preserved the evolution of life over billions of years within its biochemical four-letter code.<\/p>\n<p>One gram of DNA can potentially encode up to hundreds of petabytes of digital data, achieving dramatic footprint and energy improvements impossible with magnetic storage media.<\/p>\n<p>While magnetic media requires data migration due to media deterioration &#8211; rewriting to new tapes and disk drives &#8211; DNA remains stable for thousands of years when properly encapsulated, meaning stored data never needs migration.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-890587 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static.electronicsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/05154757\/IMG_1838.webp\" alt=\"Imec accelerates DNA data storage\" width=\"633\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.electronicsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/05154757\/IMG_1838.webp 633w, https:\/\/static.electronicsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/05154757\/IMG_1838-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/static.electronicsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/05154757\/IMG_1838-150x150.webp 150w, https:\/\/static.electronicsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/05154757\/IMG_1838-70x70.webp 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 633px) 100vw, 633px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To help bring Atlas\u2019 vision to life, imec co-developed and monolithically manufactured a custom, exceptionally dense nano-scale array of electrochemical cells on top of a control CMOS ASIC designed by Atlas. The integrated chip orchestrates and controls millions of individual synthesis sites.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo make DNA-based digital data storage viable, the synthesis throughput needs\u00a0to scale by several orders of magnitude over today\u2019s approach,\u201d explains Siraj Nour ElAhmadi, Atlas Chief Operating Officer. \u201cTo meet this challenge, we anchored our solution on silicon, leveraging the very large-scale integration benefits afforded by CMOS technology. Our collaboration with imec was crucial to build the nano device layer on top of our CMOS ASIC. imec&#8217;s 300 mm silicon platform is key to reach the necessary throughput and scale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the challenges was etching the platinum devices at very small dimensions, explains Simone Severi, imec Vice President of R&amp;D. \u201cAnother critical design challenge was minimizing leakage currents between neighbouring devices at these extremely small dimensions. Our R&amp;D team developed a custom process flow to ensure electrical isolation and stable operation across the dense array, a key enabler for reliable synthesis at scale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>IC-Link by imec manages the supply chain to source Atlas custom wafer for further post-processing on imec\u2019s processing line.<\/p>\n<p>As demand for data storage grows, so does the need for sustainable high-density storage solutions. imec and Atlas partnership shows how the convergence of life science\u00a0and semiconductors can unlock radically new ways to store, sense, and<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the technical collaboration, imec and Atlas Data Storage are embarking in a deeper strategic collaboration where imec will become a shareholder of Atlas Data Storage.<\/p>\n<p>This approach is part of imec\u2019s venturing strategy where selected ventures benefit of the same type of support and strategic alignment as imec\u2019s own spinoffs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith this approach, imec becomes a direct investor in Atlas Data Storage,\u201d says Olivier Rousseaux, imec director of venture development. \u201cAs with other imec venture portfolio companies, Atlas will benefit from cutting-edge R&amp;D and nano fabrication processing capabilities, as well as hands-on business support, leveraging imec\u2019s unique ecosystem of partners, investors and venture capital funds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.electronicsweekly.com\/news\/research-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">See all our Research content<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imec and Atlas Data Storage, a specialist in production-scale DNA data storage, have joined forces to to accelerate the development of digital data storage using synthetic DNA. The collaboration combines &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":890587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16039,12658],"tags":[13144],"class_list":["post-890584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-research-news","tag-imec"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.7 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Imec accelerates DNA data storage | Electronics Weekly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Imec and Atlas Data Storage, a specialist in production-scale DNA data storage, have joined forces to to accelerate the development of digital data\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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