World's Smallest QR Code - Smaller Than Bacteria - Could Store Data for Centuries (sciencedaily.com)
(Sunday March 29, 2026 @05:15PM (EditorDavid)
from the see-you-later dept.)
- Reference: 0181180618
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/03/29/2112231/worlds-smallest-qr-code---smaller-than-bacteria---could-store-data-for-centuries
- Source link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260328043603.htm
"Scientists have created a microscopic QR code so tiny it can only be seen with an electron microscope," [1]reports Science Daily . It's "smaller than most bacteria and now officially a world record."
"But this isn't just about size; it's about durability. By engraving data into ultra-stable ceramic materials, the team has opened the door to storing information that could last for centuries or even millennia without needing power or maintenance."
> Scientists at TU Wien, working with data storage company Cerabyte, produced a QR code measuring just 1.98 square micrometers... officially confirmed and recorded in the Guinness Book of Records...
>
> Each pixel measures just 49 nanometers, which is about ten times smaller than the wavelength of visible light. As a result, the pattern is completely invisible under normal conditions and cannot be resolved using visible light. However, when viewed with an electron microscope, the QR code can be clearly and reliably read. The storage capacity is also impressive. More than 2 terabytes of data could fit within the area of a single A4 sheet of paper using this approach...
>
> This work points toward a more sustainable future for data storage, where information can be preserved securely for the long term with minimal energy use.
"We live in the information age, yet we store our knowledge in media that are astonishingly short-lived," says Alexander Kirnbaue (from the thin film materials science division at Vienna's Tu Wein research university). "With ceramic storage media, we are pursuing a similar approach to that of ancient cultures, whose inscriptions we can still read today..."
"We now aim to use other materials, increase writing speeds, and develop scalable manufacturing processes so that ceramic data storage can be used not only in laboratories but also in industrial applications."
[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260328043603.htm
"But this isn't just about size; it's about durability. By engraving data into ultra-stable ceramic materials, the team has opened the door to storing information that could last for centuries or even millennia without needing power or maintenance."
> Scientists at TU Wien, working with data storage company Cerabyte, produced a QR code measuring just 1.98 square micrometers... officially confirmed and recorded in the Guinness Book of Records...
>
> Each pixel measures just 49 nanometers, which is about ten times smaller than the wavelength of visible light. As a result, the pattern is completely invisible under normal conditions and cannot be resolved using visible light. However, when viewed with an electron microscope, the QR code can be clearly and reliably read. The storage capacity is also impressive. More than 2 terabytes of data could fit within the area of a single A4 sheet of paper using this approach...
>
> This work points toward a more sustainable future for data storage, where information can be preserved securely for the long term with minimal energy use.
"We live in the information age, yet we store our knowledge in media that are astonishingly short-lived," says Alexander Kirnbaue (from the thin film materials science division at Vienna's Tu Wein research university). "With ceramic storage media, we are pursuing a similar approach to that of ancient cultures, whose inscriptions we can still read today..."
"We now aim to use other materials, increase writing speeds, and develop scalable manufacturing processes so that ceramic data storage can be used not only in laboratories but also in industrial applications."
[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260328043603.htm
What about the future? (Score:2)
by InterGuru ( 50986 )
Who says that future generations will have electron microscopes or the ability to read QR codes. Lots of technology is lost when civilizations collapse. In the future we might not even realize that the ceramic chip contains any information.
I can get 10% off next purchase next century! (Score:2)
by bussdriver ( 620565 )
I hope the webserver is still working.
accelerated aging test not yet completed (Score:2)
Although it can be written for the here and now, accelerated aging (and more importantly actual aging) has not yet been performed to see whether this marking will fade or deteriorate. We know only that the white ceramic itself will last for that many centuries, not that the black marking will last that long or remain high enough contrast for that many centuries.