SK hynix has developed a universal flash storage (UFS) 2.0 64-gigabytes (GB) solution, based on its own 16-nanometer NAND flash fabrication technology and in-house firmware, as well as a controller.

UFS provides faster internal storage technology and the demand for UFS-embedded solutions remains solid amid growing appetites by consumers for expanded data storage in smartphones and other computing devices.

The SK Group's semiconductor affiliate said the solution represents a groundbreaking leap in performance by enabling "high-speed gear 3" interface with dual data lanes.

UFS 2.0 is the next generation of embedded flash memory to eMMC for mobile IT gadgets which drives a remarkable boost in reading/writing speed at low power and supports high density.

In a statement, the world's second-largest memory chipmaker said its UFS 2.0 operates at 780 megabytes per second (MB/s) and 160MB/s of sequential read/write speed and runs random read/write speed at 32,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) and 17,000 IOPS.

"As a result, it works three times faster in read speed than eMMC 5.1," said company spokesman Son Hee-young.

Additionally, the UFS 2.0 utilizes "command queue" technology used in solid-state drive (SSD) solutions to handle read and write commands simultaneously to achieve data operation efficiency by preventing buffering load in multi-tasking and ordering priorities of data works.

"To maximize prioritized command processing feature of UFS standard, the device employs ‘multi-thread' read processing internally to ensure that high priority command is serviced first irrespective of other outstanding tasks, delivering fast response to time-critical host requests for the best user experience," said the statement.

In consequence, it realizes even better performance in speed and power consumption over eMMC.

The company said the main goal is to see that smartphones begin to make use of the new UFS technology and relegate eMMC to standard-affair, budget and mid-range products.

"SK hynix is pleased to expect the mobile devices such as smartphones to enhance their performances with the advanced UFS 2.0," Choi Young-joon, head of its NAND solution development division, was quoted as saying in the statement.

UFS is forecast for installation in high end smartphones from this year and adoption in mid-low end products gradually.

According to IHS, a market research firm, the share of UFS in mobile embedded memory will take 4 percent in this year and grow up to 23 percent in 2017 and 49 percent in 2019.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved