America Steps Aside as China Discovers New Way to Store Data in DNA

Although the United States has long possessed top-tier resources for developing advanced technology, China has consistently delivered breakthroughs in innovation and adaptation. Recently, Chinese researchers discovered a new method for storing files—not using hard drives or internal smartphone storage, but DNA. Named ‘DNA Cassette Tape’, data storage is achieved through strands of DNA fused with a 100-metre-long plastic strip. Its capacity is equivalent to storing 3 billion songs. According to the researchers, the 100-metre tape can hold 362,000 terabytes of data, or about 60 billion photos. This is far greater than most laptops, which can store 0.5 to 2 TB, and smartphones, which range from 125 GB to 256 GB. “DNA has the potential to become the next-generation information storage medium due to its high storage density,” the authors stated in the research, quoted from Live Science on Thursday (30/4/2026). “The DNA tape reel configuration maximises the utilisation of material space, making DNA storage profitable by expanding the existing area and capacity through increasing its length,” the research team added. According to the team, DNA storage also offers the ability to be preserved for a long time. This is because the DNA strands are stored in a metal-organic framework (MOF) with protective layers. At minimum, the data storage tape can last more than 345 years at room temperature or 20,000 years at 0 degrees Celsius. The tape can even be repaired with transparent adhesive if damaged. To do this, each section of the tape will be printed with a barcode indicating which file is stored there. A camera will be placed on a machine resembling a cassette player. It will then scan the tape as it moves between two rollers, locate the file, and dip it into a base solution that releases the DNA. The DNA can then be sequenced. Meanwhile, the base sequence can be translated into a file code.