InPhase Technologies
Corporate brand
UnclaimedDefunct technology company that developed holographic data-storage drives, media, and library systems.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
InPhase Technologies was a Longmont, Colorado-based technology company focused on commercializing holographic data storage. The company emerged from Bell Labs in 2000 after approximately a decade of foundational research into photopolymers and related work on mechanisms for writing and reading data in holographic media. Its central proposition was that holographic storage could deliver substantially greater capacity than contemporary removable and magnetic storage formats by recording information throughout the volume of a medium rather than only across its surface. The company’s work covered more than the storage medium itself. InPhase investigated photopolymer media, optical read/write mechanisms, angle-based multiplexing, mechanical handling, and automated libraries capable of storing and retrieving large numbers of disks. Between 2001 and 2004, it concentrated on the engineering and manufacturing challenges involved in deploying a commercial library containing a small number of drives, a much larger supply of removable media, and a robotic system for moving disks between storage slots and readers or writers. InPhase publicly promoted a product roadmap built around the Tapestry holographic storage platform. In May 2008, it introduced the Tapestry 300r reader, specified at 300 GB of capacity and a 20 MB-per-second read/write transfer rate. The company said later generations would increase capacity and speed by at least an order of magnitude. It also pursued intellectual property and technology partnerships, including a jointly granted 2008 patent with Nintendo for a flexure-based scanner used in angle-multiplexed holographic storage systems. Commercial execution proved difficult. The Tapestry reader had previously been associated with release targets in late 2006 and February 2007, but those schedules were not met. Delays contributed to workforce reductions and uncertainty around the availability of the drive and its media. InPhase nevertheless continued assembling the components needed for a broader storage system, acquiring holographic-media manufacturing equipment from Hitachi Maxell in 2010 and obtaining assets from DSM AG in Germany in 2011. The latter transaction gave the company rights and capabilities related to digital libraries, autoloaders, and robotic media handling intended to complement its drives and disks. In March 2010, Signal Lake Venture Capital acquired a majority equity interest in the remaining business. InPhase subsequently entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 17, 2011, seeking to reorganize. Its assets were sold at auction in March 2012. Akonia Holographics acquired the company’s assets, including equipment, intellectual property, and technical know-how. InPhase therefore ceased to operate as an independent commercial brand. Its work became part of the technological inheritance transferred to Akonia, a holographic-display and holographic-technology company that was later acquired by Apple in 2018.
History
InPhase Technologies was created in 2000 as a spinout from Bell Labs. Its origins lay in roughly ten years of basic research into photopolymer materials for holographic storage, combined with parallel development of systems that could write information into, and read information from, those materials. The company was established to move holographic storage from laboratory research toward a commercial product family. Holographic storage records data through optical interference patterns and can use the volume of a medium, rather than merely its surface, to store information. InPhase presented this approach as a route to very high capacity and positioned it against the magnetic storage products then used in commercial markets. The company’s work included photopolymer media, optical scanners, read/write mechanisms, multiplexing methods, and the mechanical infrastructure required to operate storage libraries. From 2001 through 2004, InPhase focused on the practical engineering problems associated with a deployable library. Its intended system would combine a relatively small number of reader/writer units with a much larger inventory of removable media. A mechanical retrieval system would select individual disks and place them in the appropriate drive. This meant that the company had to solve not only optical recording and materials problems but also manufacturing, automation, reliability, and library integration issues. InPhase’s most visible commercial effort was the Tapestry platform. The Tapestry 300r, announced in May 2008, was specified to hold 300 GB and to provide 20 MB-per-second read/write performance. The company’s roadmap anticipated substantial improvements in both measures across subsequent product generations. However, the commercial schedule repeatedly slipped. Release expectations had previously included late 2006 and February 2007, and the delays affected the company’s ability to establish a market presence. Workforce reductions followed, while the future availability of the reader and compatible media remained uncertain. The company continued to develop the broader ecosystem around its technology. In February 2008, it received a joint patent with Nintendo for a flexure-based scanner used in angle-based multiplexing. In 2009, InPhase reported that its technology had exceeded the areal density of contemporary magnetic storage media available commercially, demonstrating the potential of its recording approach even though a stable commercial business had not yet been established. Financial and organizational pressure increased thereafter. On March 16, 2010, Signal Lake Venture Capital acquired a majority equity stake in the remaining company. During 2010, InPhase acquired holographic-media manufacturing equipment from Hitachi Maxell in Tokyo. In 2011, it acquired assets of DSM AG in Westerstede, Germany. Those assets supported the design, manufacture, and servicing of digital libraries and robotic pickers. The planned systems included smaller autoloaders and much larger libraries designed to hold numerous disks and move them between slots and drives. The restructuring effort did not restore the company to commercial viability. On October 17, 2011, InPhase filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Its assets were auctioned in March 2012, and Akonia Holographics acquired the principal assets, including critical equipment, intellectual property, and know-how. InPhase consequently became defunct as an independent company. The later acquisition of Akonia by Apple in 2018 gave the assets a subsequent corporate connection to Apple, but did not revive InPhase as a standalone brand.
- 2012
Assets acquired by Akonia Holographics
[1]InPhase’s assets were sold at auction and acquired by Akonia Holographics.
- 2011
DSM AG assets acquired
[1]InPhase acquired DSM AG assets related to digital libraries, autoloaders, and robotic media handling.
- 2011
Chapter 11 filing
[1]The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 17.
- 2010
Majority investment by Signal Lake
[1]Signal Lake Venture Capital acquired a majority equity stake in the remaining InPhase business.
- 2009
Reported density milestone
[1]InPhase reported that its technology had surpassed the areal density of contemporary commercial magnetic storage media.
- 2008
Tapestry 300r introduced
[1]InPhase announced its first reader, specified at 300 GB with 20 MB-per-second read/write performance.
- 2001
Commercial-library engineering program begins
[1]The company began a multi-year effort to address the engineering and manufacturing requirements of automated holographic-storage libraries.
- 2000
Spinout from Bell Labs
[1]InPhase Technologies was established as a Bell Labs spinout to commercialize research in holographic storage materials and optical recording systems.
Products and positioning
Early commercial pioneer in high-capacity holographic data storage and automated optical storage systems.
Holographic storage reader · 2008
Tapestry 300r
The Tapestry 300r was InPhase’s first publicly identified holographic storage reader. Announced in May 2008, it was specified with 300 GB of storage capacity and read/write transfer rates of 20 MB per second. It represented the company’s attempt to turn its photopolymer and optical-storage research into a commercial product, although repeated schedule delays made the timing and availability of the system uncertain.
Removable holographic storage media
Tapestry holographic storage media
InPhase developed photopolymer-based media intended to work with its holographic readers and writers. The media formed part of a larger platform that included optical mechanisms, automated libraries, and robotic handling. InPhase also acquired manufacturing equipment from Hitachi Maxell as it sought greater control over production of holographic storage media.
Automated optical storage infrastructure · 2011
Digital storage libraries and autoloaders
The company pursued automated libraries capable of holding holographic storage disks and moving them between storage slots and reader/writer drives. The systems included smaller autoloaders and larger configurations designed for substantially more disks, with robotic picker mechanisms intended to support unattended retrieval and storage operations.
Brand decisions
2011
Expansion into complete library systemsStrategyBackground
A commercial holographic-storage offering required automated media handling in addition to drives and disks.
Action taken
InPhase acquired DSM AG assets covering digital-library design, manufacturing, support, autoloaders, and robotic media pickers.
Aftermath
The expanded systems capability was not sufficient to prevent the company’s Chapter 11 filing later in 2011.
2011
Chapter 11 reorganization filingOtherBackground
Repeated product delays and the difficulty of commercializing the company’s storage platform created continuing business pressure.
Action taken
InPhase filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on October 17, 2011.
Aftermath
The company’s assets were auctioned in March 2012 and acquired by Akonia Holographics.
2010
Signal Lake takes a majority stakeM&ABackground
InPhase had experienced product delays and operational pressure while attempting to commercialize holographic storage.
Action taken
Signal Lake Venture Capital acquired a majority equity stake in the remaining company.
Aftermath
InPhase continued acquiring manufacturing and library-related assets, but ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2011.
2008
Launch of the Tapestry 300rProduct launchBackground
InPhase needed to demonstrate that its holographic-storage research could be delivered as a usable commercial system. The Tapestry 300r was presented as the first reader in its product platform.
Action taken
The company introduced a reader specified at 300 GB and 20 MB-per-second read/write performance, while outlining a roadmap for substantially higher-capacity and faster generations.
Aftermath
The product’s commercial schedule was delayed repeatedly, and the company later reduced its workforce amid uncertainty about the release of the drive and media.
Sources1 sources
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