The organization — dubbed the Open NAND Flash Interface (ONFI) Working Group — appears to be missing some key vendors. NAND flash leaders Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. of South Korea and Toshiba Corp. of Japan were conspicuously absent in the formation of the group.

The ONFI had been expected. In March, Intel said that it was in the process of launching an initiative to define a standard interface for NAND-based flash memory devices. At the time, Intel and undisclosed partners said it would shortly launch the ONFI initiative. The idea was not to define a new card standard, but rather develop a component interface standard for the devices themselves, according to Intel.

The mission of the ONFI Working Group is to simplify integration of NAND flash memory into consumer electronics devices and computing platforms. These companies are jointly defining an enhanced chip-level standard interface for the attachment of NAND flash memory to host systems.

“An improved common interface is critical to reducing or eliminating software changes and long qualification cycles when using a new NAND flash part,” said Takashi Yamanishi, deputy general manager of standards and partnership from Sony Corp. (Tokyo), in a statement.

Today, use of NAND flash in devices and computing platforms is hampered by the lack of sufficient standardization. To support a new NAND flash part on a platform, host software and hardware changes are often required, even when the new NAND flash part is supplied by the same vendor, according to the organization.

Implementing host changes can be extremely costly due to the new testing cycle required and can cause slower rates of adoption for new NAND flash devices, according to the organization.

To enable a fast industry transition to the new interface, ONFI will exploit existing commonalities between current NAND devices. The interface will enable NAND devices to self-describe their capabilities to the host, including memory layout, timing support and enhanced features.

The specification will also standardize the command set for NAND, put infrastructure in place for future evolution of NAND capabilities, and provide flexibility for supplier-specific optimizations. Additionally, the specification will define common pin-outs in order to avoid board layout changes when using a new NAND device.

Additional founding members are expected to be announced within the quarter as the process is completed. The specification is scheduled to be completed by the ONFI Working Group in the second half of 2006.

Intel is moving towards a similar effort in NOR flash. Last year, STMicroelectronics NV and Intel collaborated to develop a NOR-flash memory subsystem for inclusion in mobile phone handsets. The two companies said they would provide hardware- and software-compatible memory products based on common specifications.

By: DocMemory
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