# Project Silica **Domain:** Archival Storage / Photonics **Doc Type:** Technology Node **Maturity:** Advanced Research and Engineering **Related:** [[Physical Permanence Gradient]], [[Holographic Data Storage]], [[Neural Data Provenance]] --- ## Definition **Project Silica** is Microsoft's research program for writing archival data into internal layers of glass using ultrafast lasers and reading the resulting optical structures through microscopy and computational decoding. The source article discusses phase and birefringent voxel regimes, parallel writing, error correction, passive libraries, and multi-millennial durability tests. ## Continuity role Glass storage addresses physical persistence and low retention energy. It does not by itself preserve semantic context, decoder availability, identity claims, or lawful custody; those belong to the surrounding continuity architecture.