Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, based in San Jose, California, said it had developed the industry's highest data density at 230 gigabits per square inch on perpendicular recording.

The technology has its roots in the late 19th century and based on vertical alignment of data bits on the plane of the disk, which takes less room in contrast to the existing horizontal recording technology, it said.

"When fully realized over the next five to seven years, perpendicular recording could enable a 10-fold increase in data densities over longitudinal recording," the company said in a statement.

All rights reserved. copyright 2018 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.