Mobile tech tipster, Revegnus, has highlighted an interesting Samsung presentation slide—according to machine translation, the company's electronics division is already responding to an anticipated growth of "client-side large language model" service development. This market trend will demand improved Universal Flash Storage (UFS) interface speeds—Samsung engineers are currently engaged in: "developing a new product that uses UFS 4.0 technology, but increases the number of channels from the current 2 to 4." The upcoming "more advanced" UFS 4.0 storage chips could be beefy enough to be utilized alongside next-gen mobile processors in 2025. For example; ARM is gearing up "Blackhawk," the Cortex-X4's successor—industry watchdogs reckon that the semiconductor firm's new core is designed to deliver "great Large Language Model (LLM) performance" on future smartphones. Samsung's roadmap outlines another major R&D goal, but this prospect is far off from finalization—their chart reveals an anticipated 2027 rollout. The slide's body of text included a brief teaser: "at the same time, we are also actively participating in discussions on the UFS 5.0 standard."

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation ("Silicon Motion"), a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid state storage devices, today introduced its UFS (Universal Flash Storage) 4.0 controller, the SM2756, as the flagship of the industry's broadest merchant portfolio of UFS controller solutions for the growing requirements of AI-powered smartphones as well as other high-performance applications including automotive and edge computing. The company also added a new, second generation SM2753 UFS 3.1 controller to broaden its portfolio of controllers now supporting UFS 4.0 to UFS 2.2 standards. Silicon Motion's UFS portfolio delivers high-performance and low power embedded storage for flagship to mainstream and value mobile and computing devices, supporting the broadest range of NAND flash, including next-generation high speed 3D TLC and QLC NAND.

The new SM2756 UFS 4.0 controller solution is the world's most advanced controller, built on leading 6 nm EUV technology and using MIPI M-PHY low-power architecture, providing the right balance of high performance and power efficiency to enable the all day computing needs of today's premium and AI mobile devices. The SM2756 achieves sequential read performance exceeding 4,300 MB/s and sequential write speeds of over 4,000 MB/s and supports the broadest range of 3D TLC and QLC NAND flash with densities of up to 2 TB.

Micron Technology, Inc. announced today that it is delivering qualification samples of an enhanced version of its Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 4.0 mobile solution with breakthrough proprietary firmware features delivered in the world's most compact UFS package at 9x13 millimeters (mm). Built on its advanced 232-layer 3D NAND and offering up to 1 terabyte (TB) capacity, the UFS 4.0 solution provides best-in-class performance and end-to-end innovation, enabling faster and more responsive experiences on flagship smartphones.

Micron UFS 4.0 accelerates data-intensive experiences with up to 4300 megabytes per second (MBps) sequential read and 4000 MBps sequential write speed, twice the performance of previous generations. With these speeds, users will be able to launch their favorite productivity, creativity, and emerging AI apps more quickly. Large language models in generative AI applications can be loaded 40% faster, resulting in a smoother experience when initializing conversations with AI digital companions.

Phison Electronics, a leading provider of NAND controllers and NAND storage solutions, today announced it has introduced a full range of UFS (Universal Flash Storage) controllers (PS8325, PS8327, PS8329, PS8361). Phison's new UFS solutions support entry-level, middle, premium and flagship smartphone devices to achieve maximum performance in mobile storage and enhance user experiences.

As smartphone devices require higher performance, the storage devices of many entry-level 5G models have transitioned from eMMC to UFS 2.2 storage, and even flagship models of 4G phones have begun adopting the UFS 2.2 specification. Compared to the half-duplex mode of eMMC, the full-duplex mode of UFS 2.2 significantly increases read speeds by three times, not only handling smartphone functions that require processing large amounts of data (such as high-resolution recording and video playback), but also consuming lower power under the same performance speed as eMMC. This helps improve the battery life of smartphones and tablets, meeting the high-performance and low-power consumption needs of mobile devices.

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced sampling of the industry's first Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Ver. 4.0 embedded flash memory devices designed for automotive applications. These new, higher performing devices deliver fast embedded storage transfer speeds in a small package size and are targeted to a variety of next-generation automotive applications, including telematics, infotainment systems and ADAS. The improved performance] of UFS products from Kioxia - including approximately +100% for sequential read speed and approximately +40% for sequential write speed - enables these applications to take advantage of 5G's connectivity benefits, leading to faster system startup times and a better user experience.

The first to introduce UFS technology, Kioxia continues to move the technology forward. Its new UFS Ver. 4.0 devices integrate the company's innovative BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and a controller in a JEDEC-standard package. UFS 4.0 incorporates MIPI M-PHY 5.0 and UniPro 2.0 and supports theoretical interface speeds of up to 23.2 Gbps per lane or 46.4 Gbps per device. UFS 4.0 is backward compatible with UFS 3.1.

Next week at CES 2024, KIOXIA, the inventors of NAND flash, will highlight its extensive portfolio of solid state drives (SSDs) and memory solutions. This diverse lineup - one of the broadest range of flash solutions in the industry - is well-suited to virtually any solution that uses flash and includes new products, form factors and standards designed for upcoming IT requirements.

In today's dynamic technological landscape, where evolving standards push performance boundaries higher and end user expectations continue to climb, KIOXIA stands poised for the future by making the memory to process, manage and store the world's data. "Whether it's designing ultra-thin consumer PCs, enabling the automotive in-vehicle experience or streamlining professional photography - we make flash memory that brings applications to life and enhances user experiences," said Alex Mei, vice president of corporate marketing for KIOXIA America, Inc. "Countless consumer devices and applications rely on KIOXIA technology solutions to enrich lives and make new memories. CES gives us an opportunity to explore new possibilities and showcase the depth and breadth of our solutions."

SK hynix Inc. showcased today the sample of the 321-layer 4D NAND, making public the progress on its development of the industry's first NAND with more than 300 layers. The company gave a presentation on the progress on the development of its 321-layer 1 Tb TLC 4D NAND Flash and displayed the samples at the Flash Memory Summit (FMS) 2023 taking place Aug. 8-10 in Santa Clara.

SK hynix is the first in the industry to unveil the progress on the development of a NAND with more than 300 layers in detail. The company plans to raise the level of completion of the 321-layer product and start mass production from the first half of 2025. The company said its technological competitiveness accumulated from the success of the world's highest 238-layer NAND, already in mass production, paved the way for a smooth progress for the development of the 321-layer product. "With another breakthrough to address stacking limitations, SK hynix will open the era of NAND with more than 300 layers and lead the market."

Samsung Electronics today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023. The Company posted KRW 60.01 trillion in consolidated revenue, a 6% decline from the previous quarter, mainly due to a decline in smartphone shipments despite a slight recovery in revenue of the DS (Device Solutions) Division. Operating profit rose sequentially to KRW 0.67 trillion as the DS Division posted a narrower loss, while Samsung Display Corporation (SDC) and the Digital Appliances Business saw improved profitability.

The Memory Business saw results improve from the previous quarter as its focus on High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and DDR5 products in anticipation of robust demand for AI applications led to higher-than-guided DRAM shipments. System semiconductors posted a decline in profit due to lower utilization rates on weak demand from major applications.

Micron Technology, Inc. announced today that it 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 UFS 4.0 storage solution is being shipped to select global smartphone manufacturers and chipset vendors. Micron's newest mobile flash storage outpaces competition on several critical NAND benchmarks, delivering 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."

Continuing to move Universal Flash Storage (UFS) technology forward, KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced sampling of new, higher performing UFS Ver. 4.0 embedded flash memory devices. These devices deliver fast embedded storage transfer speeds in a small package size and are targeted to a variety of next-generation mobile applications, including leading-edge smartphones. The improved performance of UFS products from KIOXIA enables these applications to take advantage of 5G's connectivity benefits, leading to faster downloads, reduced lag time and an improved user experience.

UFS Ver. 4.0 devices from KIOXIA integrate the company's innovative BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and a controller in a JEDEC-standard package. UFS 4.0 incorporates MIPI M-PHY 5.0 and UniPro 2.0 and supports theoretical interface speeds of up to 23.2 gigabits per second (Gbps) per lane or 46.4 Gbps per device. UFS 4.0 is backward compatible with UFS 3.1.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the all-new ROG Phone 7 series of gaming smartphones at its For Those Who Dare virtual launch event. The ROG Phone 7 series includes the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate models and is the latest step in the high-performance evolution of the world's greatest gaming phone. This futuristically-styled phone—which sports a new two-tone design—combines the game-winning power of the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform with the advanced GameCool 7 thermal system and special ROG tuning to deliver a truly breathtaking mobile gaming experience—and impressively low power consumption. The key to this power efficiency is the revolutionary new rapid-cycle vapor chamber design, which increases heat dissipation efficiency by up to 168%, allowing the ROG Phone 7 series to run games at full speed while maintaining low temperatures.

To make ROG Phone 7 a powerful and portable theater, we've increased the effective volume of the ROG Phone 7 series' speakers by 50% and tuned the system in cooperation with audio specialists Dirac. ROG Phone 7 series now delivers amazing 2.1-channel sound when the new AeroActive Cooler 7 accessory—which houses a powerful subwoofer—is attached.

Although NAND suppliers have continued to roll back production, there is still an oversupply of NAND Flash as demand for products such as servers, smartphones, and notebooks is still too weak. Therefore, TrendForce predicts that the ASP of NAND Flash will continue to fall in 2Q23, though that decline may shrink to 5~10%. The key to supply and demand returning to a market equilibrium lies in whether NAND suppliers can cut back on production even more. TrendForce believes if demand remains stable, then the ASP of NAND Flash will have an opportunity to rebound in 4Q23; if demand is weaker than expected, then ASP will take longer to recover.

Client SSD: Currently, PC OEM's have managed to liquidate most of their component inventory, and are now gearing up in preparation for mid-year sales events. Suppliers are cutting prices to clear out their inventories of PCIe Gen 3 SSDs, which are gradually being phased out. Meanwhile, prices of PCIe Gen 4 SSDs continue to face downward pressure due to a slow intake of new customer orders. The continuous decline of QLC products in 1Q23 has also dragged down the prices of TLC products, and there is relatively little room for prices to keep falling in 2Q23. While it still remains unclear whether or not demand will recover, TrendForce projects that the prices of PC client SSDs will drop 5~10% in 2Q23.

This week at CES 2023, KIOXIA America, Inc., the inventors of NAND flash, will highlight new technologies, products, and form factors designed to meet upcoming IT requirements and standards - including PCIe 5.0 and UFS 4.0.

In an ever-changing technology landscape, where evolving standards push performance levels higher and higher, KIOXIA stands ready for what comes next - thanks to its broad, diverse lineup of flash storage solutions. "Whether it's the next connected vehicle, the next personal mobility device or the next smart city - we keep advancing flash memory to make the next thing possible," said Alex Mei, vice president of corporate marketing for KIOXIA America, Inc. "Countless consumer devices and applications require flash memory and SSDs, and we are committed to continued innovation."

MediaTek today launched the Dimensity 9200, its latest 5G chipset powering the next era of flagship smartphones. Boasting extreme performance and intelligent power efficiency, the new SoC brings immersive all-day gaming experiences, ultra-sharp image capturing and support for both mmWave 5G and sub-6 GHz connectivity to consumers around the globe.

"MediaTek's Dimensity 9200 combines ultimate performance with significant power savings, extending battery life and keeping smartphones cool," said JC Hsu, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of MediaTek's wireless communications business unit at MediaTek. "With notably brighter image capturing and improved gaming speeds, along with the latest display enhancements, the Dimensity 9200 will bring new possibilities for next-gen smartphones that come in a variety of stylish and foldable form factors."

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of JESD220F: Universal Flash Storage 4.0. In addition, an update to the complementary JESD223E UFSHCI 4.0 standard, and a new companion standard for UFS version 3.1 and above, JESD231 File Based Optimization, have also been published. Developed for mobile applications and computing systems requiring high performance with low power consumption, UFS 4.0 introduces significant bandwidth and data protection improvements over the earlier version of the standard. All three standards are available for download from the JEDEC website.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today unveiled an array of next-generation memory and storage technologies during Flash Memory Summit 2022, held at the Santa Clara (California) Convention Center, Aug. 2-4. In a keynote titled "Memory Innovations Navigating the Big Data Era," Samsung spotlighted four areas of technological advancement driving the big data market—data movement, data storage, data processing and data management—and revealed its leading-edge memory solutions addressing each field.

To maximize data center efficiency in an increasingly data-driven world, Samsung introduced a next-generation storage technology, "Petabyte Storage." The new solution will allow a single server unit to pack more than one petabyte of storage, enabling server manufacturers to sharply increase their storage capacity within the same floor space with a minimal number of servers. High server utilization will also help to lower power consumption.

Samsung has announced the implementation of the latest JEDEC standard specification with the adoption of UFS (Universal Flash Storage) standard 4.0. The new standard offers a number of improvements over the previous UFS 3.1 specification related to either performance or power savings. The new standard increases speeds of up to 23.2 Gbps per lane, double that of the previous UFS 3.1 standard. Additionally, UFS 4.0 unlocks sequential read speeds as high as 6.0 MB/s per mA - a 46% improvement over the previous spec, promising decreased battery drain even as workload time is reduced.

Samsung's UFS 4.0 implementation will leverage the company's 7th Gen V-NAND alongside a proprietary controller, which should ultimately enable speeds of up to 4,200 MB/s. Sequential write speeds are nothing to scoff at either, promising up to 2,800 MB/s. The improved performance doesn't translate to increased package sizes, however, as UFS 4.0 will be distributed in compact packages with a maximum dimension of 11 mm x 13 mm x 1 mm for more effective space utilization and design convenience - with capacities reaching the 1 TB per package. Mass production is expected in 3Q2022. Samsung expects its new UFS 4.0-based products to deliver new experiences with increased data throughput of 5G smartphones, future automotive applications, and even AR and VR.