Abstract :
A crunch in data storage, unlike credit, has been long predicted but never seems to quite materialize. This is partly because ongoing improvements in disk density and cost per bit have matched the inflationary growth of storage itself until recently. Of one prediction we can be certain, that this felicitous situation cannot continue. There are already signs that the increase in disk drive densities and costs per bit are decelerating. The paper reports on the emerging advanced storage technologies that are ready to help mop up the flood.