On June 24, the National Science and Technology Awards Conference was held in Beijing, where the project “Key Technologies and Applications for Efficient and Reliable Mass Data Storage Systems,” led by Professor Feng Dan from the School of Computer Science and Technology at HUST, received the Second Prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award. This marks the sixth national-level science and technology award won by faculty from the School.
Data storage is a vital component of IT infrastructure, crucial to national security and economic stability. However, issues such as poor adaptation to heterogeneous storage systems, low efficiency, and data loss due to system failures have long persisted. The awarded project, supported by national programs like the “973” and “863”initiatives, overcame significant technical bottlenecks over more than a decade of collaboration between academia and industry. Breakthroughs were achieved in areas such as heterogeneous storage architecture, near-data processing, data deduplication, and high-reliability assurance. The result was the development of a high-efficiency, reliable mass data storage system, which has been successfully commercialized and applied across industries like finance, telecommunications, and security, significantly boosting the domestic storage industry.
Professor Feng Dan has been leading research in large-scale network storage systems, cloud storage, solid-state storage technologies, disk arrays, and computer system architecture. Over the years, her team has undertaken numerous national-level research projects and has received multiple prestigious awards, including the Second Prize in the National Technological Invention Award and the Second Prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award. The team has also been recognized with accolades such as the Huawei Olympus Storage Pioneer Award and has fostered numerous national-level and young talents, contributing to China's strategic goal of technological self-reliance.
Professor Feng expressed that receiving the award is both an honour and a motivation to continue advancing in this field. She highlighted President Xi Jinping's call to strengthen national strategic technological capabilities and enhance foundational research. Her team will continue to focus on critical national needs and cutting-edge international research, further advancing scientific innovation and promoting the industrialization of domestic storage technologies, which provide critical support to industries like finance, telecommunications, and security.
According to the announcement, the 2023 National Science and Technology Awards recognized two recipients of the Highest National Science and Technology Award, 49 projects for the National Natural Science Award, 62 for the National Technological Invention Award, 139 for the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and 10 individuals for the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award.
