Data Backup Digest

Universal Flash Storage, also known as UFS, is a lesser known competitor to the commonplace eMMC technology used in most cameras, phones and mobile devices today. Despite this fact, UFS 2.0 may come to replace eMMC-based storage in some devices, especially those from Samsung, as soon as 2015. Working in direct coordination with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., the pair believes strongly in the upcoming technology.

Raj Talluri, Qualcomm's senior vice president of product management, touted UFS as the solution to future mobile needs. He was quoted as saying: "UFS offers higher performance and a number of other features that are valuable in the growing mobile industry. As the world leader in next-generation mobile technologies, Qualcomm Technologies is always looking to stay on the cutting edge, and Toshiba is a proven innovator in NAND flash technology, including UFS."

Regarded by some IT experts as the successor to eMMC, UFS-based systems are capable of achieving transfer speeds four times faster than eMMC. Moreover, UFS relies on NAND flash-based storage, so users will receive a level of dependability and efficiency comparable to that of today's SSDs.

UFS 2.0 encompasses two separate architectures: HS-G2, which features speeds up to 725 MB/s, and HS-G3 which is capable of operating at 1.45 GB/s. In contrast, the most recent version of eMMC maxes out at 400 MB/s, though there aren't many devices that support the current standard. The interface of UFS also differs from that of eMMC. Instead of using a parallel interface, UFS systems rely on a serial connection.

An anonymous insider with Samsung spoke about the company's future plans in a recent interview. " UFS is an important element for our smart phone business next year. We will start the application centering on flagship smartphones. However, we cannot disclose any details because the time of a new smart phone release next year and specifications of this new model have not been finalized."

Samsung isn't the only one making the switch to UFS. Xiaomi, a China-based consumer electronics company that is headquartered in Beijing, has announced that they will also be using UFS-based systems in the near future.

Not only is Samsung expected to integrate UFS into their smartphones in 2015, but they are also expected to utilize the technology in their tablets, too. Xiaomi, who is also making the transition to UFS 2.0, will be using the new technology in all of their devices.

UFS was originally started by Samsung, Micron and Nokia in 2007. In cooperation with the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council, also known as JEDEC, the technology was available for consumer use in early 2011. Since then, both Toshiba and SK Hynix became involved in the venture. All companies involved played critical roles in the ongoing development of UFS as well as the recent introduction of UFS 2.0.

While Toshiba was the first IT company to offer UFS-based devices to their customer base, they certainly won't be the last. To find out more about Samsung's future plans, including any initiatives involving the UFS system, interested parties can visit their website at www.samsung.com. For more information regarding Toshiba's current UFS offering, you can visit their website at www.toshiba.com.