A new era for storage? Researchers crack world record for smallest QR code, which could be “indefinitely” durable and require no energy or cooling
New QR codes smaller than bacteria could let data last forever
· TechRadarNews By Efosa Udinmwen published 21 February 2026
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- QR codes with 49-nanometer pixels can store massive data efficiently
- Electron microscopes are required to read these tiniest ever QR codes
- A single A4 ceramic layer could theoretically hold more than 2TB
The promise of storage that lasts indefinitely and consumes no power sounds almost implausible in a world where data centers demand constant electricity and cooling.
That is the claim now attached to a newly verified Guinness World Record achieved by TU Wien and Cerabyte, for creating and reading the smallest QR code ever produced.
At its core, the development is less about novelty and more about whether ceramic media can fundamentally change how information is preserved.
Smaller than bacteria, bigger than storage limits
The record involves QR code pixels measuring just 49 nanometers, producing structures with a total area of 1.98 square micrometers.
These codes are smaller than bacteria, cannot be read with conventional optical tools, and are 37% smaller than the previous smallest QR code.
An electron microscope is required to retrieve the encoded information, underscoring how far this technology sits from everyday scanning applications.
Using this microscopic QR code approach, a single A4-sized ceramic film could theoretically store more than 2TB of data in one layer - a density which would place it well beyond many traditional archival media in terms of space efficiency.
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