Thomas Coughlin joins SPhotonix to boost 5D data storage push

SPhotonix has appointed Thomas Coughlin to its Executive Advisor Group as the company prepares to increase its commercial activities in the long-term data storage sector.

Thomas Coughlin brings more than four decades of experience in the digital data storage sector, having managed and developed a wide range of storage devices and systems. Regarded as an authority in the field, Coughlin has worked with well-known brands including Seagate, Maxtor, Micropolis, Ampex and SyQuest. He holds six patents and is the author of multiple papers and books about data storage. He is also recognised for his contributions to the IEEE and the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA).

Coughlin has been referred to as the "human wikipedia for digital data storage" due to his extensive knowledge in the sector. His appointment coincides with a period of heightened interest in 5D Memory Crystal technology, following reports that the University of Southampton successfully stored the human genome on a 5D Memory Crystal. This development has drawn significant attention from industrial and business communities interested in durable and high-density data storage solutions.

Commenting on his new role, Thomas Coughlin said:

"There is a major increase in demand for storage of data including long term archival storage, particularly over the last few years with the uptake of AI applications. Long time retention of digital data will preserve the story of who we were and what we know. SPhotonix is developing tools to enable data preservation and I am honored to have an opportunity to work with them and help make this possible."

SPhotonix is scaling its commercial efforts from individual consumer projects, such as family history storage, to a wider market that includes museums' archival needs and large-scale enterprise data storage. The firm's approach offers an alternative to conventional storage and data warehouse methods, utilising optical device fabrication and femtotechnology.

Ilya Kazansky, Chief Executive Officer of SPhotonix, welcomed Coughlin's appointment, stating:

"The potential for our femtotechnology and 5D Memory Crystals as a form of durable and sustainable data storage with high density is significant across all sectors. Whether that is for 'store and forget' projects or those that require long term storage with frequent access, we are geared to deliver. Working with Thomas has already been valuable as he brings such depth of knowledge and understanding about data storage to our application using fused quartz in the 5D format. It's an exciting step for SPhotonix."

SPhotonix is progressing with multiple projects intended to showcase the flexibility and practical uses of optical device storage. The company has recently highlighted the need for sustainable solutions to support the increasing quantity of data generation, particularly for long-term archival use, and the pressure this places on traditional storage media.

The foundations of SPhotonix are rooted in technology developed at the University of Southampton's Optoelectronics Research Centre, where researchers accomplished the storage of the human genome using a 5D Memory Crystal designed to last billions of years. This technology is now being further advanced to create what SPhotonix describes as new optical elements for long-term, durable data storage.