Lucent has sent up a new venture, called InPhase, to investigate the potential of holographic storage, long the stuff of science fiction novels, and storage vendors' dreams.
In theory, three-dimensional storage would allow high storage densities and fast data transfer speeds. It would work by storing data as a series of interference fringes in a 3D matrix, which could then be read back with a laser. The pattern would be interpreted as binary data.
The move has the backing of three venture capital firms: Signal Lake; Madison Dearborn Partners; and Newton Technology Partners. The amount invested has not been disclosed. Lucent expects to spin the new venture off into a new company within four years.
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