9 Emerging Storage Technologies To Watch

We're all familiar with the data deluge, and the need to store and analyze exponential data growth is driving storage manufacturers to provide new technologies to keep that data flowing. According to IDC estimates, the amount of data stored in the world's computer systems is doubling every two years, and is likely to continue increasing at that rate into the next decade.

In order to deal with that data volume, manufacturers are looking for ways to increase storage density, or to store more information in less space.

Another key factor is Moore's Law. Back in 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore observed that the number of components per integrated circuit was doubling every two years. This means that processors were getting about twice as fast every two years, and the law continues to hold true to this day.

However, as CPUs have gotten faster, storage hasn't always kept up. With storage becoming a bottleneck, manufacturers are also looking for ways to increase performance in order to keep pace with Moore's Law.

And, of course, manufacturers also need to keep prices low in order to satisfy their customers.

In order to meet the demands for greater density, faster performance, and low cost, researchers have proposed several innovative new technologies. We look at nine innovations that could drastically affect the storage industry in the near future. Some are already on the market, while others are still on their way to general availability.

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