Could Data Files Be Stored as DNA?
SAN DIEGO — The startup Iridia closed a $6 million financing round to help it develop DNA-based memory chips for the data storage market. Iridia closed the follow-on funding round with Prime Movers Lab, according to Iridia last month month. Funds from the round will be used by Iridia to further validate its technology and […]
SAN DIEGO — The startup Iridia closed a $6 million financing round to help it develop DNA-based memory chips for the data storage market.
Iridia closed the follow-on funding round with Prime Movers Lab, according to Iridia last month month.
Funds from the round will be used by Iridia to further validate its technology and develop work prototypes.
The company closed an oversubscribed $24 million Series B round in March. It is using the Series B funds to help it double its headcount and physical footprint.
Iridia’s technology is designed to integrate the writing, storage, and read back of massive amounts of data using synthetic DNA as the storage media. The company intends for the technology to increase data density and durability and reduce the physical and carbon footprints of data centers.
The patented data storage method by Iridia integrates semiconductor technology with a disruptive enzyme-based chemistry to “add DNA-based bits representing 0s and 1s in a programmable fashion,” potentially adding “orders of magnitude more” storage capacity than current archival technologies, according to the company.
“As the industry focus on DNA data storage expands, Iridia will be well positioned with a solution designed specifically for the modern data center,” said Jay T. Flatley, chairman of the board of Iridia and chairman and former CEO of Illumina.
“This additional funding will enable the company to accelerate development of working prototypes, an important milestone on the path to commercialization and adoption.”
The world’s ability to generate digital data is “far exceeding” its ability to store the data, and data is lost each year due to storage capacity limitations, according to Iridia.
“As the volume of data being generated every day increases at exponential rates, the demand for storing that data is also skyrocketing,” said Amy Kruse, general partner of Iridia investor Prime Movers Lab, who’s joined Iridia’s board.
“We think DNA provides the most exciting opportunity for solving the data storage problem, and Iridia has the right team and approach for the vast and underserved data storage space.”
Chris Ehrlich is the managing editor of several web properties in the TechnologyAdvice network. He has over 20 years of experience delivering content-based results across journalism and communications, including on B2B technologies. As a leader in digital journalism, he’s driven targeted content that resonates with audiences and increases key metrics. As a leader in branded communications, he’s driven multi-channel content for clients that spreads their messages and generates measurable returns. He holds a B.A. in English and political science from Denison University in Ohio.
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