ONFI Working on Next Feneration NAND specs
ONFI 3.0 and EZ-NAND, for mid-2010
This is a Press Release edited by StorageNewsletter.com on January 8, 2010 at 3:26 pmAt the Storage Visions Conference in Las Vegas, the Open NAND Flash Interface (ONFI) Working Group, the organization dedicated to simplifying integration of NAND Flash memory into consumer electronics (CE) devices, computing platforms, and industrial systems, announced that its next-generation specification – ONFI 3.0 – will achieve speeds of up to 400 mega-transfers per second. Like previous ONFI standards, the ONFI 3.0 specification is being designed with simplicity in mind for NAND-based devices when working with flash controllers and is backwards compatible with previous ONFI standards.
Additionally, ONFI has begun work on a new technology specification called EZ-NAND, which stands for Error Correction Code (ECC) Zero NAND. EZ-NAND will remove the burden of the host controller to keep pace with the fast changing ECC requirements of NAND technology. In today’s NAND implementations, the host controller must assume responsibility for all NAND management functions, including block management, wear leveling, and ECC. With ECC being almost solely dependent on the NAND die and not the system, EZ-NAND will alleviate the issue of controller manufacturers having to implement and keep up with NAND ECC requirements.
"The performance provided by ONFI 3.0 will allow NAND to keep pace with ever-increasing host interface speeds and enable compelling system solutions," said Kevin Kilbuck, chair of the ONFI marketing committee. "EZ-NAND will provide a significant advancement in NAND technology, as it will enable NAND and logic process technologies to scale at their own pace. Both ONFI 3.0 and EZ-NAND are being driven forward by multiple companies within the NAND ecosystem, making the adoption of NAND much simpler for customers."
Work on the ONFI 3.0 and EZ-NAND specifications is expected to be completed in the mid-2010 timeframe.
About ONFI
The ONFI Working Group is dedicated to simplifying integration of NAND Flash memory into consumer electronics (CE) applications and computing platforms. Before the advancements made by the working group, use of NAND Flash in these end-use applications was hampered by the lack of sufficient standardization. To support a new NAND Flash component on a platform, host software and hardware changes were often required. Implementing these changes was extremely costly due to the new testing cycle required – which led to slower rates of adoption for new NAND Flash components. ONFI aims to remedy that problem and speed time to market for NAND Flash based applications.
The ONFI Working Group was formed in May 2006 and currently has more than 90 member companies. ONFI’s founding companies include Hynix Semiconductor, Intel Corporation, Micron Technology, Inc., Numonyx, Phison Electronics Corporation, SanDisk, Sony Corporation, and Spansion.