Lexar Addresses Archival Photo Data Degradation Risk

Summary

Lexar is developing a physical device to address the issue of data degradation in unpowered memory cards. Modern TLC and QLC flash memory, commonly used in consumer products, can lose data within a year if left unpowered, as electrical charges leak from memory cells. While regular use keeps firmware refreshing data, archival storage poses a significant risk. Lexar's proposed solution would periodically refresh data on stored media, resetting the retention clock to prevent data loss and ensure long-term accessibility of photographs.

Key points

• Modern memory cards using TLC and QLC flash can lose data within a year when unpowered.
• Data loss occurs as electrical charges leak from memory cells over time.
• Lexar is developing a device to periodically refresh data on archived memory cards.
• This addresses the risk of data inaccessibility for long-term photo storage.