Kioxia has started shipping evaluation samples of UFS 5.0 embedded flash memory, available in 512 GB and 1 TB capacities.
UFS 5.0 is a new embedded flash storage standard under development by JEDEC for next-gen mobile devices. It utilizes MIPI M-PHY version 6.0 for the physical layer and UniPro version 3.0 for the protocol. The new High-Speed Gear 6 (HS-GEAR6) mode in M-PHY version 6.0 can manage up to 46.6 Gbps per lane, allowing up to 10.8 GB/s read/write performance with 2 lanes, outperforming most NVMe SSDs except PCIe Gen5 SSDs.
The previous UFS 4.0 standard offered up to 4,200 MB/s, so UFS 5.0 more than doubles the theoretical speed.
In addition to higher throughput, UFS 5.0 includes features like, according to JEDEC:
- Integrated link equalization for better signal integrity
- Distinct power supply rail for noise isolation between PHY and memory subsystems, aiding in system integration
- Inline Hashing for enhanced security
Kioxia states the samples feature an in-house developed controller for UFS 5.0 and their 8th-generation BiCS FLASH. The chip measures 13 x 7.5mm. The company emphasizes that samples are for functional evaluation only, and commercial product specifications may differ.
It may be some time before UFS 5.0 hardware becomes available, as the standard is not yet finalized and samples are only for companies developing compatible host systems. The 512 GB sample is now available, with 1TB sample shipments expected to begin next month (March 2026).
Via press release.