2026 deposit announced

Preserve your legacy…
for the next 2000 years.
Literally.

Store your most precious data safely inside the Arctic World Archive – a future-proof vault built to outlast decay, threats and risks.

Discover the foundation Make a deposit
Svalbard mountains above the blue ocean.

The Foundation

The Arctic World Archive began in 2017 as a bold initiative by Norwegian tech company Piql: to preserve humanity’s most valuable data in the Arctic, using ultra-durable, future-proof film stored deep in a repurposed Svalbard coal mine.

What started as a project became a symbol — and in 2025, AWA became an independent foundation, ensuring neutrality, transparency, and global stewardship.

Our mission is simple: Preserve the world’s memory — securely, sustainably and freely accessible to all for generations to come.

A map of Svalbard with artworks masked inside the shape of the archipelago.

Safeguarding priceless data for

GitHub Vatican Library Yale logo Unicef logo Museo Da Pessoa Norwegian Armed Forces Logo Esa Moderna Museet Arkivverket
Explore the data we protect Make a deposit

Why Svalbard?

Outlined map of Svalbard relative to the nearest neighboring land.

Because some places are built by nature—and law—to last forever:

Geopolitical neutrality

Svalbard is a demilitarized zone governed by international treaties, making it one of the most politically stable locations on Earth.

Environmental stability

With permafrost and low seismic activity, Svalbard offers natural long-term conditions for passive preservation.

Security

Deep inside a repurposed coal mine, our vault provides physical and digital security unmatched by traditional data centers.

View more reasons →
Closeup of the piqlBox.

Our technology:
Built to last. Ready to preserve.

At AWA, we combine ultra-durable storage with a dedicated software platform to help institutions preserve their data with confidence. Our core medium is piqlFilm — a future-proof, tamper-resistant storage format designed to last for centuries, even without electricity or software dependencies.

To support this, we provide a free-to-use software platform that allows contributors to prepare, structure, and package their data for long-term preservation. The platform is intuitive, secure, and entirely free — making it easy for institutions to contribute to the Arctic World Archive.

Access and use the platform for free
Svalbard mountains above the blue ocean.
Image of Camilla Viken (UNICEF Norway), the woman quoted on the testimony below.
« The Arctic World Archive is not only secure, but also holding a collection of highly important information and cultural heritage. What better place to store what we view as the world’s most important document than here?

Camilla Viken

Executive Director, UNICEF Norway

Featured Collections

In a remote corner of Svalbard, amidst the icy silence of the Arctic, lies a modern marvel that safeguards the treasures of our digital world. The Arctic World Archive (AWA), nestled deep within the permafrost, is the guardian of priceless data and a testament to human achievement.

Nat Friedman looking out of a glass bubble on Svalbard.

GitHub

Arctic Code Vault

Arctic Code Vault: Safeguarding Open Source Code for the Future, in AWA!

Arctic Code Vault
ARCHIV3 logo on 3D graphic

Bank Pekao S.A.

Art Frozen in Time

Our cultural treasures find double protection in AWA and the eternal blockchain, preserving heritage perfectly captured in professional scans.

Art Frozen in Time
Italian masterpiece - The Divine Comedy

Vatican Library

Italian masterpiece - The Divine Comedy

The "Divine Comedy" (La Divina Commedia) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed in...

Vatican Library

Use the AWA Platform

Want to explore how it works before making a deposit?

Get free access to the AWA platform and see how you can manage, preview, and prepare your preservation projects.

  • Upload unlimited data to your personal piqlFilm(s) with secure cloud storage until final submission.
  • Store any file format, in digital (QR-code) or visual format for long-term readability.
  • Track and manage deposits directly from your dashboard with full metadata support.
  • Retrieve your data anytime, with files made available via the secure AWA online portal.
Access and use it for free
Define you own metadata schemas in the AWA web application