Project Silica: Microsoft stores 'Superman' movie on a piece of glass

You may soon be able to carry your favourite movies and TV shows with you on a piece of glass. It may sound straight out of a sci-fi movie and somewhat impossible but Microsoft has partnered with Warner Bros. over this futuristic initiative called 'Project Silica' which absolutely makes it possible.

As a result of its collaboration with Warner Bros., folks over at Microsoft stored and retrieved 1978's Superman movie on a piece of glass, which is roughly size of a drink coaster (75 x 75 x 2 mm).

What is Project Silica?

This is how Microsoft defines Project Silica on its website: 'Project Silica is part of broer Optics for Cloud project, which explores future of cloud infrastructure at intersection of optics and computer science.'

In a nutshell, Project Silica is Microsoft's first of its kind media stor techlogy that integrates cloud.

Project Silica is a collaboration with University of Southampton Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC). It was first featured in a Microsoft Ignite 2017 keyte on future stor techlogies.

Microsoft used hard silica glass to store entire 'Superman' movie. Microsoft says hard silica glass can withstand being boiled in hot water, baked in an oven, microwaved, flooded, scoured, demagnetised and or environmental threats.

Microsoft Azure is investing in it to develop stor techlogies built specifically for cloud computing patterns.

“Storing whole ‘Superman’ movie in glass and being able to re it out successfully is a major milestone,” said Mark Russivich, Azure’s chief techlogy officer. “I’m t saying all of questions have been fully answered, but it looks like we’re w in a phase where we’re working on refinement and experimentation, rar asking question ‘can we do it?’”

Warner Bros. approached Microsoft to safeguard its vast asset library, including "Casablanca," 1940s rio shows, animated shorts, digitally shot atrical films, television sitcoms, dailies from film sets.

“That h always been our beacon of hope for what we believed would be possible one day, so when we learned that Microsoft h developed this glass-based techlogy, we wanted to prove it out,” said Warner Bros. Chief Techlogy Officer Vicky Colf.

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