Self‐Assembled Calcite Architectures for Programmable Information Storage

Conventional data storage media, including hard drives, flash memory, and magnetic tapes, suffer from finite lifetimes and require continual migration to new formats, resulting in substantial energy consumption, logistical burden, and vulnerability to electronic disruption. Sequence‐defined macromolecular platforms, such as DNA and synthetic polymers, offer ultrahigh information density, yet remain constrained by environmental instability, limited scalability, and complex read/write processes. On the other hand, biomineralization presents an intriguing alternative as a self‐assembled and durable paradigm for information storage. Drawing on recent advances in ureolytic biomineralization in combination with nanoscale template fabrication and laser‐directed patterning, mineral precipitation can be directed with micro‐ to nanoscale spatial precision, enabling the bottom‐up formation of 3D calcite architectures that encode information through spatially defined mineralization patterns. The resulting biomineral structures exhibit exceptional long‐term stability under extreme conditions, including thermal, chemical, and mechanical stress. This perspective article explores the opportunities and challenges of using biologically driven mineralization as a high‐density, resilient platform for information storage, highlighting how insights from microbiology, materials science, and optical physics could converge to inspire novel approaches in ultra‐stable data encoding.