BioCompute Targets Cold Storage Economics With Reusable DNA Templates

BioCompute, a deep-tech startup incubated in Berkeley, is developing an alternative architecture for archival data storage that marks reusable biological templates instead of synthesizing new DNA strands from scratch. The company is positioning its approach to address the compounding costs of long-term digital preservation, where enterprise cold data accumulates on magnetic tape and hard disks that require power and periodic replacement.

While DNA has long offered density advantages and centuries-long retention over silicon and magnetic media, high write costs associated with chemical synthesis have prevented widespread commercial adoption. Rather than attempting to lower the cost of manufacturing new DNA molecules, BioCompute is building a system that reuses existing molecular templates to record digital information, according to a report published by The Next Web .

The startup has demonstrated a preliminary write cost of $1 per megabyte and is targeting a long-term goal of $1 per terabyte. To close the operational gap between encoding and retrieval, BioCompute is developing an integrated hardware stack combining an enzymatic write mechanism designed for reusable templates with a licensed nanopore read pipeline calibrated to match the write process.

BioCompute was founded by Anagha Rajesh, who left a doctoral program in gene therapy at the University of Oxford to establish the company. Rajesh previously co-authored a textbook on DNA data storage and publishes technical analyses on deep-tech infrastructure. An incoming co-founder brings background across molecular biology and signal acquisition to address write fidelity and read reliability.

While BioCompute is initially focused on cold archival storage, the company plans to expand toward lower-latency storage tiers and investigate biomolecular computing architectures over the long term.