JEDEC Updates Universal Flash Storage Standard

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, announced the publication of updates to its Universal Flash Storage (UFS) standard.

Specifically tailored for mobile applications and computing systems requiring performance and low power consumption, the new UFS v1.1 standard is an update to the v1.0 standard published in 2011, incorporating feedback from industry UFS technology implementers.

JESD220A Universal Flash Storage v1.1 contains important amendments and references to the latest related MIPI Alliance, Inc.‘s specifications, and may be downloaded free of charge from the JEDEC website after registration.

JEDEC has also published a complementary standard, JESD223A UFS Host Controller Interface (HCI) v1.1. JESD223A defines a standard host controller interface on which system designers can create a common host controller software driver layer to work with UFS host controller hardware from different manufacturers. The HCI functionality also enables higher performance and power efficiency by minimizing the involvement of the host processor in the operation of the Flash storage subsystem. JESD223A Universal Flash Storage Host Controller Interface v1.1 may also be downloaded free of charge after registration.

Gartner forecasts that by 2014, there will be over 70 billion mobile applications downloads every year, with an increasing focus on enterprise applications, creating an ongoing demand for enhanced storage solutions.

UFS v1.1 continues to build on JEDEC Flash memory storage standards designed to help address this demand. To allow for easy transition from e·MMC technology, UFS v1.1 has implemented functionality that are compatible with e·MMC v4.51 command protocol improvements such as Context ID (grouping different memory transactions under a single ID so the device can understand that they are related), and Data Tag (tagging specific write transactions so they can be prioritized and targeted to a memory region with higher performance and better reliability).

To achieve high performance and power efficient data transport, JEDEC UFS aligns with specifications from the MIPI Alliance to form its Interconnect Layer. This collaboration continues with UFS v1.1, which supports the M-PHYTM and UniProSM specifications. Recently published, the newest UniPro specification defines a universal chip-to-chip data transport protocol, providing a common tunnel for higher-level protocols. The updated M-PHY interface is designed as the primary physical interface (PHY layer) for the UniPro specification, and is a high speed serial interface. The next generation M-PHY reaches 2.9Gb/s per lane with up-scalability to 5.8Gb/s per lane.

"JEDEC intends to continue to enhance UFS to meet the needs of the industry, and the publication of UFS v1.1 and UFS HCI v1.1 underscore a firm commitment from memory manufacturers and leading consumer device and mobile OEMs for UFS," said Mian Quddus, chairman of the JEDEC board of directors and the JC-64 Committee for Embedded Memory Storage and Removable Memory Cards.

Joel Huloux, chairman of the MIPI Alliance board of directors, said: "Our relationship with JEDEC continues to be fruitful for both organizations. Companies implementing the new UFS v1.1 will have access to the most up-to-date PHY and protocol technologies. Together, these standards represent the next step in mobile device storage performance."