I recently came across this article entitled ”IBM Will Increase Your Storage Capacity 1,000 Fold.” It is an insightful article and it discusses how advances in nanotechnology will eventually lead to data storage devices capable of storing about 150 terabits per square inch. Like so many other articles, however, it only discusses what this type of data storage capacity might mean in terms of today’s technology. For example, it reckons that you’ll soon be able to quickly download and store thousands of YouTube videos on your iPod.
That’s all fine and well, and undoubtedly some people will thrill at the opportunity to watch the latest clever YouTube video—maybe they’ll even want to watch hundreds of the most clever videos. But for most of us, such a capability seems like overkill.
As I always try to do, though, I would encourage you to ”jump the curve” and think of what this technology means not in terms of today’s technology, but rather what it might imply for tomorrow’s. For instance, this month’s Wired has an excellent article on the possibility of sequencing the personal genome for $1,000. Storing such information will require a great deal of storage capacity, but this latest IBM advance will make storing your genome seem like child’s play. My point is that rather than simply storing YouTube videos on your Google Phone of the future, you will probably also be storing your personal genome. And once this is possible, you will be able to use your phone for far more important things than watching the latest and greatest video, you’ll be able to monitor your health with an almost unimagineable level of specificity.
My broader point is that when thinking about the future, it is not sufficient to think solely in terms of how new future technologies will facilitate existing technologies, you need to contemplate how the convergence of a variety of new emerging technologies will lead to entirely new opportunities. To this end, I’d encourage you to consider how terabyte storage will facilitate advances in rapid prototype manufacturing.
Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
