Automotive storage tasks streamlined with UFS 4.1 Chip upgrade
Kioxia, a world leader in memory solutions, has announced the launch of its UFS 4.1 family of embedded flash memory, designed specifically for automotive applications. This new technology is set to revolutionise the in-vehicle systems of modern vehicles with its advanced features and capabilities.
The UFS 4.1 family includes host-initiated defragmentation, replay protected memory block (RPMB) authentication, and enhanced memory logical units for QLC flash memory. Kioxia's UFS 4.1 chips employ the company's 3D flash-memory technology, BiCS Gen 8, which boosts power efficiency, performance, and memory density.
Kioxia's UFS 4.1 family supports full-duplex operations and is available with capacities up to 1 TB. The MIPI Alliance's M-PHY version 5.0 specification is employed by the UFS 4.1, providing a bandwidth of 4.2 GB/s.
The new UFS 4.1 standard is backwards compatible with UFS 4.x and 3.x, ensuring seamless integration with existing systems. Notably, the UFS 4.1 chips from Kioxia more than double the speed compared to prior versions.
Key Advantages of Kioxia's UFS 4.1 for Automotive Applications
Kioxia's UFS 4.1 devices offer several key advantages, making them ideal for the demanding requirements of modern automotive systems.
Significantly Improved Performance
Compared to UFS 3.1, the UFS 4.1 delivers about 2.1x faster sequential read, 2.5x faster sequential write, 2.1x faster random read, and 3.7x faster random write speeds. This enhanced performance enables a more responsive experience in data-intensive automotive environments like infotainment, Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), telematics, and domain controllers.
Advanced Flash Memory Technology
The UFS 4.1 integrates Kioxia’s generation 8 BiCS FLASH™ 3D flash memory, featuring CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) technology. This advanced technology improves power efficiency, performance, and memory density.
UFS 4.1 Specification Compliance with Enhanced WriteBooster Extensions
The UFS 4.1 devices include WriteBooster Buffer Resizing and Pinned Partial Flush Mode, providing better flexibility for optimized performance. The devices maintain backward compatibility with UFS 4.0 and 3.1 standards.
Improved Diagnostic Capabilities
The addition of vendor-specific device health descriptors simplifies device status monitoring and predictive maintenance, essential for automotive reliability.
Automotive Grade Qualification
The UFS 4.1 family meets AEC-Q100/104 Grade 2 standards, supporting operating case temperatures up to 115°C, suitable for harsh automotive environments.
Future-Ready Support for Complex Technologies
The UFS 4.1 facilitates integration with AI, multi-gigabit Ethernet, and other next-gen vehicle features through its enhanced speed and flexibility.
In summary, Kioxia’s UFS 4.1 devices combine cutting-edge flash memory architecture, higher throughput, enhanced diagnostics, and automotive-grade durability to meet the rigorous demands of modern in-vehicle systems. With the increasing integration of artificial intelligence and advanced driver-assistance systems in vehicles, the need for high-performance memory solutions like Kioxia's UFS 4.1 is more critical than ever.
[1] Kioxia Corporation. (2023). Kioxia Unveils UFS 4.1 Embedded Flash Memory for Automotive Applications. [Online]. Available: https://www.kioxia.com/en-global/about/news/2023/03/220308_pr_kioxia_ufs41_automotive_memory.html
[2] Kioxia Corporation. (2023). Kioxia Introduces 1 TB UFS 4.1 Embedded Flash Memory for Automotive Applications. [Online]. Available: https://www.kioxia.com/en-global/about/news/2023/03/220308_pr_kioxia_ufs41_automotive_memory_1tb.html
[3] MIPI Alliance. (2020). MIPI M-PHY v5.0 Specification. [Online]. Available: https://mipi.org/specifications/mipi-m-phy-v5-0
[4] JEDEC. (2020). JEDEC Standard for Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Version 4.1. [Online]. Available: https://www.jedec.org/standards/universal-flash-storage-ufs-4-1
[5] Kioxia Corporation. (2023). Kioxia’s UFS 4.1 Embedded Flash Memory for Automotive Applications Offers Key Features and Advantages. [Online]. Available: https://www.kioxia.com/en-global/about/news/2023/03/220308_pr_kioxia_ufs41_automotive_memory_features.html
The UFS 4.1 family from Kioxia, a leading provider in data-and-cloud-computing technology, is designed for automotive applications, leveraging advanced flash memory technology for improved performance and power efficiency. This technology, set to revolutionize in-vehicle systems, boasts a significant increase in speed compared to its predecessors, delivering faster read and write speeds for data-intensive automotive environments like infotainment, Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), telematics, and domain controllers.
