In the event of a global catastrophe, people have long begun to build shelters with seeds of various plant species, one of the largest is located in Norway – the so-called. The Global Seed Vault today contains 1,145,693 seeds “reserves” from around the world. Microsoft decided to develop this idea with the help of other partners. In the case of Global Doomsday, a collection of world music works – the Global Music Vault – will be created here.

Microsoft plans to use technology developed as part of its Project Silica initiative to record large volumes of music, the company is launching test recordings on quartz slabs. Although magnetic tape is still considered the best for information archiving, it is not as reliable as quartz media, according to a press release posted on the project’s website.

It is stated that such plates can be fired, scalded, scratched, contaminated, exposed to electromagnetic radiation and other factors without losing the information recorded on the glass. In addition, the location in Norway is considered one of the safest places on the planet due to the geological features of the country itself and its moderate geopolitical activity.

The size of each quartz slab is 75 × 75 mm, the thickness is 2 mm. It can store up to 100GB. Data is added using lasers that create a three-dimensional mini-relief on the plate. Polarized light is required to obtain information, and the machine method will help decode the signal. According to the organizers of the project, the data can be stored “for thousands of years.” Especially in 2019, Microsoft successfully coded and decoded the original version of “Superman” owned by Warner Brothers.

According to Global Music Vault, the archive will add music from around the world, from the UK to Sweden, Africa and New Zealand. Eventually, the organizers plan to add dozens of petabytes each year. The first “contribution” to the warehouse is expected in 2023. More information is published on the project website.