Micron flash solution optimised for AI and 5G data-intensive flagship smartphones

2 mins read

Micron Technology is now delivering qualification samples of its Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 4.0 mobile solution, built on its advanced 232-layer 3D NAND.

Offered in high capacities up to 1 terabyte (TB), the solution is being shipped to select global smartphone manufacturers and chipset vendors. Micron’s newest mobile flash storage is said to deliver the industry’s fastest performance for flagship smartphones with fast bootup, app launches and video downloads.

“Micron’s latest mobile solution tightly weaves together our best-in-class UFS 4.0 technology, proprietary low-power controller, 232-layer NAND and highly configurable firmware architecture to deliver unmatched performance,” said Mark Montierth, corporate vice president and general manager of Micron’s Mobile Business Unit. “Together, these technologies position Micron at the forefront of delivering the performance and low-power innovations our customers need to enable an exceptional end-user experience for flagship smartphones.”

This product is Micron’s first mobile solution built on the company’s 232-layer triple-level cell (TLC) NAND, which delivers 100% higher write bandwidth and 75% higher read bandwidth. 

Micron’s 232-layer 3D NAND architecture provides more bits per square mm of silicon by stacking the NAND bit cell array into more layers, allowing greater density, performance improvements and capacity growth. This latest solution also represents the world’s first UFS 4.0 storage to use six-plane NAND architecture, which allows significantly higher random read throughput — leading to more responsiveness, faster application loading times and a better overall user experience.

The UFS 4.0 solution:

  1. Offers up to 4300 megabytes per second (MBps) sequential read and 4000 MBps sequential write speed, twice the performance of previous generations so users can launch their favourite social media apps faster.
  2. Is 25% more power-efficient so users can enjoy data-intensive apps longer without the hassle of frequent charging.
  3. Provides 10% write latency improvement over competition, resulting in super responsive app performance.
  4. Allows users to quickly download two hours of 4K streaming content in less than 15 seconds, twice as fast as the prior generation.

Micron has also developed a proprietary firmware feature, One Button Refresh (OBR), for its latest UFS solution to add differentiated value for end users. This feature enables consistent performance by automatically defragmenting and optimising device data so smartphones can continue to operate in a like-new state.

With OBR, users will benefit from 70% write improvement, resulting in nearly one-third faster app launches, snappy camera roll access and seamless multi-tasking across apps.

Micron is now shipping samples of its UFS 4.0 storage solution to key mobile manufacturers and chipset vendors worldwide in capacities of 256 gigabytes (GB), 512GB and 1TB.

The company will begin high-volume production of its UFS 4.0 storage solution in the second half of 2023.