Data storage has evolved since the IBM punch card in 1928. Datastickies, DNA storage and helium drives are just some of the possibilities for the future of data storage.
Helium Drive Technology
In 2013, HGST created the first 6 TB 3.5-inch hard drive; apparently, this was made possible by sealing helium gas inside the device.
Helium has one-seventh the density of air, so it dramatically reduces the friction between the spinning disks in the device. As a result, it lowers the electrical power the hard drive consumes and allows more disks to be packed closer together, hence increasing the capacity.