June 19th, 2025 – 11:00 am
The amount of digital data generated worldwide is continuously growing at an unprecedented rate: 90% of all existing data has been created in the last two years alone. This explosive growth leads to an exponential increase in the consumption of scarce resources and energy, with no absolute guarantee of the long-term integrity and durability of data storage. Notably, approximately 70% of this data is considered “cold”, meaning it is rarely accessed and can remain unused for extended periods of 10 years or more. As a result, digital data storage has become one of humanity’s critical challenges.
Recent research highlights DNA molecules as a highly promising candidate for next-generation data storage, with the theoretical capacity to store up to 215 petabytes of data per gram. Digital information can be encoded into synthetic DNA strands in vitro and stored within specialized microcapsules that ensure data stability for several centuries. Retrieval of the stored information is performed through advanced sequencing technologies.
In this presentation, we will explore the current state of the art in DNA data storage, focusing on efficient encoding of digital data into a quaternary code composed of the four DNA bases: A (Adenine), T (Thymine), C (Cytosine), and G (Guanine). We will also introduce JPEG DNA, the new and emerging standard for image compression and coding on DNA.
Furthermore, we will present a novel approach developed at the I3S laboratory for encoding digital images in synthetic DNA. This solution addresses the unique constraints of DNA storage and optimizes the trade-off between compression quality and synthesis cost, paving the way for practical and scalable DNA-based image storage.
Bio: Marc Antonini is a Research Director at CNRS and leads the MediaCoding research team at the I3S laboratory in Sophia Antipolis, France. He has held numerous leadership positions in the signal processing and information theory communities.
He initiated the European project OligoArchive, focused on DNA-based data storage. Since October 2021, he has served as the Program Director of the PEPR Exploratoire MoleculArXiv, dedicated to massive data storage using DNA and artificial polymers. Since 2020, he has chaired the JPEG DNA international working group.
Marc Antonini is the author of more than 300 publications, 7 book chapters, and 13 patents. His research spans image and video coding, geometric processing, and compression of surface meshes and point clouds. In recent years, he has launched a new research activity in the field of digital data storage in synthetic DNA. He is the co-founder and scientific advisor of Cintoo, a spin-off from Université Côte d’Azur and CNRS, created in July 2013. He is also the co-founder and Scientific Director of PearCode, another spin-off from Université Côte d’Azur and CNRS, launched in October 2022.
In 2023, he was honoured with the CNRS Medal of Innovation for his contributions to scientific and technological advancement.
For security reasons (Vigipirate plan), non Inria participants are required to pre-register here before the event and bring their ID card to enter the building.
