Kioxia Started Sampling UFS V.3.1 Embedded Flash Memory Devices

Kioxia America, Inc. (formerly Toshiba Memory America, Inc.), the US-based subsidiary of Kioxia Corporation, started sampling ^[1] Universal Flash Storage^[2] (UFS) Ver. 3.1 embedded flash memory devices.

Suited for mobile applications requiring performance with low power consumption, this lineup utilizes the company’s BiCS Flash 3D memory and is supported in four capacities: 128, 256, 512GB and 1TB ^[3].

These devices integrate BiCS Fash 3D flash memory and a controller in a JEDEC-standard 11.5x13mm package. The controller performs error correction, wear leveling, logical-to-physical address translation, and bad-block management for simplified system development.

“Kioxia was the first company to introduce UFS in 2013^[4] and the first to offer UFS Ver. 3.0 last year^[5], and we continue to be at the forefront of UFS memory with this Ver. 3.1 announcement today,” noted Scott Beekman, director, managed flash memory products, Kioxia America. “Our newest offerings enable next-gen mobile devices to take full advantage of the connectivity benefits of 5G, leading to faster downloads and reduced lag time – and an improved user experience.“

All 4 devices include following features:

WriteBooster: Enables faster write speeds (more than 2-3X the speed of Ver. 3.0)
Sequential read performance: Improved by approximately 30% over existing Ver. 3.0.
Host Performance Booster (HPB) Ver. 1.0 (defined as an extension spec): Improves random read performance by utilizing the host side memory.
UFS-DeepSleep Power Mode: Achieves power consumption reduction in sleep mode compared to UFS-Sleep Power Mode.
Performance throttling event notification: UFS may throttle performance, if the internal temperature reaches its upper limit, to avoid overheating and damage to the internal device circuits.

^[1] Sample shipments of the 256GB device started in February with the rest of the line-up to gradually follow after March. spec of the samples may differ from that of commercial products.
^[2] Universal Flash Storage (UFS) is a product category for a class of embedded memory products built to the JEDEC UFS standard spec. JEDEC is a registered trademark of JEDEC Solid State Technology Association
^[3] In every mention of a Kioxia product: Product density is identified based on the density of memory chip(s) within the product, not the amount of memory capacity available for storage by the end user. Consumer-usable capacity will be less due to overhead data areas, formatting, bad blocks, and other constraints, and may also vary based on the host device and application. For details, refer to applicable product specs. The definition of 1KB = 2^10 bytes = 1,024 bytes. The definition of 1Gb = 2^30 bits = 1,073,741,824 bits. The definition of 1GB = 2^30 bytes = 1,073,741,824 bytes. 1Tb = 2^40 bits = 1,099,511,627,776 bits.
^[4] Source: Kioxia Corporation, as of February 2013.
^[5] Source: Kioxia Corporation, as of January 23, 2019.

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