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Finding Genius Podcast

On the Future of Digital Storage and Synthetic DNA—Thomas Coughlin—Coughlin Associates

Finding Genius Podcast

Richard Jacobs

Medicine, Health & Fitness

4.41K Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2019

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As the president of Coughlin Associates, Thomas Coughlin is a widely-respected digital storage analyst and business and tech consultant with over 35 years' worth of experience in the data storage engineering industry. He also has six patents under his name and is the author of Digital Storage in Consumer Electronics: The Essential Guide. On today's episode, he discusses the future of digital storage technology, which may very well lie in the strands of synthetic DNA. He explains that DNA can store a high density of information, with a potential capacity 1,000 times greater than what's currently achievable with modern storage technology like hard drives. He explains what it will take to get there, the challenges that must be overcome, and a rough timeframe for when DNA-based data storage could become commercialized and mainstream.

In addition, Coughlin talks about a number of fascinating topics, including the work being done towards using microfluidic silicon matrices as storage devices, technology obsolescence, neuromorphic computing, brain to electronics interfaces, artificial telepathy, deepfake technology, and the legal and ethical implications of these emerging capabilities. Tune in for all the details, including info about an August 29th conference on emerging memories and AI.


To learn more about Coughlin's work, visit tomcoughlin.com and feel free to email him at tom@tomcoughlin.com.

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to the Future Tech podcast with Richard Jacobs.

0:08.5

Future Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Stem cells, 3D printing, gene editing,

0:14.4

Bitcoin, blockchain, the microbiome, quantum computing, virtual reality, and exploring

0:20.6

space are much closer than you might

0:22.4

think. In fact, many early versions of these technologies are in play right now, and the

0:27.9

companies that are using these technologies are the focus of this podcast. My goal for you,

0:32.7

the listener, is to learn from these podcasts. You may very well learn something that may change

0:37.4

the course of your life for the better,

0:39.4

steer you towards a new career,

0:41.3

but give you insight into addressing a thorny medical problem.

0:44.8

Remember, this podcast and its content is informational in nature only.

0:48.5

No medical, tax, legal, financial, or psychological advice is being given.

0:52.9

If you enjoyed the podcast, please listen, subscribe, like, and tell your friends about it.

0:58.1

Thank you.

1:04.7

Hello, this is Richard Jacobs for the Fusion Tech and Future Tech Health podcast.

1:09.3

I have Tom Copland, president of Cofflin Associates.

1:12.4

He's a widely respected digital storage analyst and a business and tech consultants.

1:17.3

He got over 35 years in the data storage industry with various engineering and management

1:21.7

positions.

1:22.7

He has a bunch of publications and six patents to his credit.

1:25.9

He's also the author of digital storage and

1:28.2

consumer electronics, the essential guide. And we're going to talk about something unusual to say DNA

...

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