Built on the company’s advanced 232-layer 3D NAND and offering up to 1 terabyte (TB) capacity, the UFS 4.0 solution enables faster and more responsive experiences on flagship smartphones.
Micron UFS 4.0 provides up to 4300 megabytes per second (MBps) sequential read and 4000 MBps sequential write speed, twice the performance of previous generations. According to Micron, with these speeds users will be able to launch apps more quickly, while large language models in generative AI applications can be loaded 40% faster when initialising conversations with AI digital companions.
“Micron’s latest UFS 4.0 solution enables world-class storage performance and reduced power in the world’s smallest UFS package,” said Mark Montierth, general manager and corporate vice president of Micron’s Mobile Business Unit. “Supercharged with breakthrough firmware advancements, the Micron UFS 4.0 raises the bar for mobile storage with enhanced performance, flexibility and scalability to accelerate the rollout of generative AI-capable smartphones.”
Since introducing its UFS 4.0 solution last year with an 11x13 mm package, Micron has reduced the footprint for its UFS 4.0 solution to offer the world’s most compact managed NAND package size at 9x13 mm.
These are significant space savings and result in an optimal size for next-generation foldable and ultra-slim smartphone designs and free more real estate for manufacturers to provide a larger battery.
In tandem with the solution’s 25% increase in power efficiency, these benefits enable extended battery life, even when running power-draining features such as AI, augmented reality, gaming and multimedia apps.
This launch builds on Micron’s ramp and high-volume production of UFS 4.0 storage last year with custom firmware updates such as:
High-Performance Mode (HPM): This proprietary feature optimises performance during intensive smartphone use by prioritising critical tasks over background tasks. This results in over 25% improvement in speed when launching multiple applications thanks to twice-as-fast storage access during heavy usage.
One Button Refresh (OBR): OBR automatically cleans and optimises data so smartphones can continue operating in a like-new state. Users will benefit from faster read/write performance, resulting in 10% faster app launches5, snappy camera roll access and seamless multi-tasking.
Zoned UFS (ZUFS): Micron UFS 4.0 now allows the host to specify different zones where data can be stored, improving the usefulness of the device over time. This reduces write amplification to maximise the finite cycles of data that devices can program and erase without degrading device performance — ultimately extending the smartphone life span.
Micron is now shipping samples of its upgraded UFS 4.0 in capacities of 256 gigabytes (GB), 512GB and 1TB.
These new capacities will help to unlock the benefits of AI by allowing smartphones to accommodate all the data analysed and generated by on-device AI assistants in addition to users’ growing photo libraries, ensuring greater security versus the cloud.
With all their data stored locally, consumers will be able to benefit from always-on access to their personal data and powerful AI features, even while offline or in places with spotty service.
