Attempts at creating durable information media have been constant in the past decade and indeed there have been some breakthroughs with scientists creating various devices that can hold data with no data loss for millions of years. As a comparison the life of a regular CD is 100 years at most.
Dutch scientists working at the University of Twente have come up with a solution. They have created a disk that can store data for a million years and possibly longer. The disk is built of tungsten and has a silicon nitride cover for protection. Data is written using a pattern of lines 100 nm wide etched into the tungsten disk.
To make sure the disk lasts a really long time the scientists have undertaken an interesting experiment that simulates aging. By heating the disk the scientists make it age much faster than usual thus ensuring that the invention will last a really long time. Still there are downsides too – the disk may not survive shock, other kinds of stress or even an ordinary house fire but the scientists believe that they can create an even more durable storage medium.
Source: Technologyreview