The new zero-energy storage techs enable us to preserve data for thousands of years with 0% energy consumption; this may guarantee the creation of an immortal blockchain.
Recent advancements in long-term storage could facilitate the development of immutable digital ledgers that can store data for millions of years without power. In other terms, blockchains are eternal.
The fundamental premise of blockchain technology is that data is unquestionably safer in a decentralized ledger than on a centralized server.
The ledger is still secure in the event of a local outage, such as a power grid failure, as long as nodes are still operational elsewhere. Data can only be stored and served by a centralized server for the duration of its power supply.
Amid Complete Blackout
It is unnecessary to be concerned about the possibility of losing our banking information due to a power outage. Modern computer systems are typically powered by battery reserves that can guarantee data preservation for months or even years, if necessary.
However, there are potential future threats to both centralized and decentralized data storage systems, much like the threat of quantum computing hovers over modern encryption.
A global blackout is one such theoretical peril. A natural calamity that affects the Earth’s magnetic field or some form of externally induced electromagnetic pulse could cause the electronics on our planet to cease functioning despite the presence of robust battery backup systems.
It is improbable that many governments have contingency plans for secondary non-critical systems, such as the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains, in case the Earth’s poles flip (unlikely), or Aliens zap us with an EMP ray (also presumably unlikely). This may sound like Hollywood fodder.
This raises the question: what are the consequences of a power outage on every node for blockchains? It is reasonable to assume that the average blockchain would continue to record additional transactions if the power is restored and operations resume as usual. However, what if the power is permanently cut off?
Blockchains that are Immortal
Most of our data would perish with us if humans were to become extinct, regardless of the cause. In a matter of centuries, brittle storage devices, such as magnetic cassettes and books, would become meaningless. The majority of our digital storage would likely be unrecoverable after millennia. Additionally, if we can envision the Earth rotating in a cold and isolated state for millions of years before it rebooted and repopulated with life (or extraterrestrial beings arrived), then only data stored in extreme long-term storage solutions would remain.
We have the technology to preserve data for highly extended periods, which is fortunate for those future humans and aliens. DNA storage, which entails the synthesis of artificial fossils encoded with data, and “Ceramic Nano Memory,” a method for preserving data on glass that, theoretically, enables it to remain encoded indefinitely without the risk of degradation, are two examples.
Although neither is intended to serve as components of a blockchain network, they have been employed to preserve critical data for future generations.
In this regard, storing the Bitcoin white paper and other critical documents in a ceramic nano memory fragment or artificial fossil would be logical. At the very least, this would give future creatures a glimpse into our technology.
Nevertheless, it should also be feasible to construct a snapshot of a functioning blockchain using zero energy storage. Although the logistics of such an endeavor would be contingent upon the medium’s constraints, it should be theoretically practicable to encode instructions for the resurrection of a blockchain network as it existed on a specific date.
