A team of scientists working in Japan have discovered a new crystal structure that could pave the way for optical discs with 1000 times more storage than current BluRay Discs.

The material, a new crystal form of titanium oxide, can switch back and forth between the metal and semiconductor states at room temperature when exposed to light, creating an effective on-off function for data storage.

It is “promising as a material for a next-generation optical storage device,” Ohkoshi told AFP by telephone.
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Interesting to see lots of activity on a fairly old technology (optical discs) it just goes to show that the utilization of physical media as an archive medium is alive and kicking.]

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