Data Custodians: Quantum Computers vs. Blockchain "/>

$5 million was raised by the Arweave project, whichdevelops the idea of storing network files.Financial support was provided by large companies: Andreessen Horowitz, Multicoin Capital, Techstars. The amount of depositors proves that the problem of storing information will become relevant in the near future. However, quantum computers are competing with blockchain. 

The volume of information on the Internet, or How much does “Game of Thrones” weigh?

The relevance of the Arweave project explains the increase in the amount of information annually. Experts believe that in 2025 the amount of data will be 160 zettabytes.

Just look at how many actions online users perform within one second: 

send 7.6 messages on Twitter;
upload 786 images to Instagram; 
Watch 70,000 YouTube videos
send 2.5 million letters.

Additional example:all seasons of the series “Game of Thrones” weigh approximately 70 GB in video resolution 1024x576. Google processes this amount of traffic within two seconds. Of course, ever-growing amounts of information need to be stored somewhere. In addition, the problem of safety and convenience remains. Large companies create special data centers, but there are alternative options – blockchain technologies and quantum computers. 

Quantum computers: information storage in the future   

Quantum computing is not idealbut there is something that makes them unique besides their storage capacity – speed and efficiency. Important Application  – these are databases. Users will be able to store and search amazing amounts of data much faster than with traditional computers.

William Hurley, head of the Quantum Computing Standards Working Group at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), notes: 

“I am personally convinced that quantum computingwill help us understand the flow of data we create to solve some very interesting problems. There are systems that generate billions of data sets per day, and they could be the solution to some of the critical problems affecting society.” .

However, experts and scientists do not formulate an exactinformation about the safety of quantum computers. In addition, you will have to wait at least several years until engineers announce successful results from the use of quantum computers.     

Blockchain guarantees permanent storage of small files

Hacking of private information by hackers – Thisa common problem in the information technology industry. Fraudsters find the key to the data of the following companies: Ministry of Defense of South Korea, television channels in France. It is not difficult for hackers to crack the passwords of smaller organizations.  

Distributed ledger technology guaranteesreliability of information storage. Using strong encryption options will prevent hackers from finding access.  In addition, users use personal keys. Thus, the creators of the Arweave blockchain guarantee that users will be able to save pages, letters and private messages on social networks through a browser extension. We are talking about safe storage, which does not imply leakage of confidential information. In October, users have already saved 45,000 files. The project's blockchain includes 100 separate applications. 

The nuance of blockchain is that storageA large amount of content is under development. So, for example, a photo taken with a smartphone weighs 3-4 MB. Maximum Bitcoin block size – 1 MB. The file will have to be split into parts, which results in expensive storage. 

The demand for storage devices will becontinue to grow due to the constant increase in information. Blockchain technologies are superior in efficiency and security to existing options for storing content. But the developers are still at the stage of solving the problem with file volumes. 