Engineers create fingernail-size chip that holds 1TB of data

Not a very useful article. It doesn't even say what method is used to store the data. They mention spintronics, so perhaps it's STT MRAM.

Anyone know more?

I'm continually frustrated by these reports. I can tell you about a fun algorithm I came up with in my sleep and maybe even prototyped, but a large-scale app it doesn't not make.

How realistic is it that this will become mainstream? How often do chip makers license these types of technologies? How do they determine when to invest in a technology like this?

Sometimes I'd rather just read about a manufacturer who has announced a product using a specific technology, at least we know someone is risking their money to turn it into a consumer-grade product.

I think they created a material that would be suitable for a chip of such density. The author seems to have take "with this you could" a little literally.