SK Hynix has announced the development of a Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 4.1 solution, incorporating what it states is the world’s first 321-layer 1 terabit (Tb) triple-level cell (TLC) 4D NAND flash memory.
This new product is designed for mobile applications, particularly in response to the growing demand for high-performance, low-power NAND solutions to support on-device artificial intelligence (AI) functionalities.
The company anticipates that this UFS 4.1 product, optimized for AI workloads, will strengthen its position in the flagship smartphone market. With the increasing prevalence of on-device AI, there is a greater emphasis on balancing computational capabilities with battery efficiency in mobile devices, along with requirements for thinner form factors and lower power consumption.
Compared to its predecessor, which utilized 238-layer NAND, the new UFS 4.1 solution demonstrates a 7% improvement in power efficiency. Its reduced thickness of 0.85mm, down from 1mm, is intended to facilitate integration into ultraslim smartphones.
In terms of performance, the product supports a sequential read speed of 4,300 megabytes per second (MB/s), which SK Hynix identifies as the fastest for a fourth-generation UFS. Furthermore, it shows improvements in random read and write speeds, crucial for multitasking, by 15% and 40% respectively. These enhancements are expected to facilitate quicker data provision for on-device AI, lead to faster application execution, and improve overall user experience.
SK Hynix plans to secure customer qualification for the UFS 4.1 solution within the current year, with volume shipments projected to commence in the first quarter of next year. The product will be available in 512GB and 1TB capacities.
Commenting on this, Ahn Hyun, President and Chief Development Officer, said:
SK hynix plans to complete development of the 321-high 4D NAND-based SSD for both consumers and data centers within the year. We are on track to expand our position as a full-stack AI memory provider in the NAND space by building a product portfolio with AI technological edge.