The development of crystal storage is maybe a lab thing but hunted for at least 3 decades. I know there was an SiO3 solution where data could be written with multiple lasers in a solid block of crystal. The readout was almost instant and only the other equipment was holding it back. This was in the 80's
To turn this around, maybe there will be technology becoming available that will allow us to read ancient storage devices of lost civilizations.
There are strong leads, that point towards an ancient radio, communication and power network, that once circumvented the whole World. Piëzo electric crystals were probably used. What if some old devices still contain information. If the right encryption and storage codes can be deciphered that could be very interesting. What records are there?
Maybe in those days there was no encryption as the small group that had access were all inaugurates.
Anyway, solid storage is not as far as many might think. It will change the way we will store our data. You can fit a complete video library on a single crystal. The size of a USB stick.
And in my view these are all re-inventions of past knowledge.
Maybe some large HDD manufacturers are holding it back. It would make hard drives obsolete. Even more than the current upcoming SSD do. It would not be the first time when progress is held back because of commercial interests.
