Common use of Outlook Clause in Contracts

Outlook. With the limits of silicon­based storage devices already in sight, attention has focused on alternative approaches to information storage. As we have described in this Review, DNA­based storage may become an interesting alternative for the current technologies, particularly in terms of storage density. Much progress has been made with regard to error protection mechanisms without much detriment to storage density. A major disad­ vantage of DNA compared with silicon is the much lower reading speed, which is especially problematic for use in random­access memory applications when only a small part of the data is desired. This means that for now, DNA is only applicable for archiving and long­term data storage purposes. A major problem still to be overcome is the current cost of DNA synthesis compared with the costs of silicon­based storage facil­ ities. However, if we assume a decline in costs similar to that seen for silicon­based storage media (at least partly attributable to improvements in DNA tech­ nology), it seems likely that it will not be long before DNA­based storage is the standard for long­term data ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇,172,173. This is certainly the case when the costs of maintenance and storage are taken into account, which are far smaller for DNA­based storage systems than for the silicon­based systems in current data cen­ tres. Further cost reductions might already be achieved quite rapidly by using quicker but less reliable synthe­ sis protocols that require less time and reagents. Lower reliability would result in less valid DNA strands, but as the DNA fountain code has already shown, this can be compensated for by using robust and highly flexible coding strategies34. the not­too­distant future. Published online 30 October 2018