Kioxia launches new UFS 4.0 flash memory

Kioxia announces the launch of an innovative UFS 4.0 flash memory solution. Kioxia maintains that the upgraded UFS 4.0 flash memory exhibits superior performance, offering accelerated embedded storage transfer speeds in a compact package. This solution has been meticulously optimized for various next-generation mobile applications, including smartphone products.

The performance enhancements of the new UFS 4.0 flash memory enable mobile device applications to leverage the connectivity benefits of 5G networks, thereby achieving faster downloads, reduced latency, and improved user experience. The next-generation storage solution adheres to JEDEC’s latest UFS 4.0 standard specifications, retains backward compatibility with the UFS 3.1 standard, and integrates Kioxia’s innovative BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and controller chips. It comprises MIPI M-PHY 5.0 and UniPro 2.0, supporting a theoretical interface speed of 23.2 Gbps per channel, or 46.4 Gbps per device.

According to Kioxia, the upgraded UFS 4.0 flash memory, compared to its predecessor, boosts sequential write performance by 18%, random write performance by 30%, and random read performance by 13%. It offers three capacity options—256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. It supports the HS-LSS (High-Speed Link Startup Sequence) feature, which is expected to reduce link startup time by approximately 70% compared to conventional methods. Utilizing advanced RPMB allows for faster read/write access to secure data. It supports Extended Initiator ID (Ext-IID) designed for use with the UFS 4.0 controller’s Multi Command Queues (MCQ) to enhance random performance.

JEDEC released the latest JESD220F, i.e., the UFS 4.0 standard, last year as an upgrade to the 2020 version 3.1. This high-performance interface was developed for mobile devices demanding high performance and low power consumption, and it introduces significant bandwidth and data protection improvements. Through the UFS 4.0 and UFSHCI 4.0 standards, multiple improvements have been made compared to the previous generation’s standards.

Competitor Samsung launched the industry’s first UFS 4.0 flash memory solution last year and has entered the mass production phase.