Data optimization becoming larger and faster due to 5G and AI

Western Digital has unveiled its first UFS-standard 3D NAND embedded flash storage solution. It is optimized for data-centric applications and next-generation smartphones.

On the 11th, a press conference was held at the Grand Intercontinental Seoul, and the 'iNAND 8521 EFD' of UFS standard and the 'iNAND 7550 EFD' of eMMC standard, which utilize 64-layer 3D NAND technology, were unveiled.

With the advent of the 5G era, multimedia content on mobile devices is increasing explosively. According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, the average storage capacity per smartphone is expected to reach 60 gigabytes (GB) by the end of 2018. The capacity of recently released smartphones has also reached 256 GB.

Lee Seong-bae, Senior Vice President at Western Digital, predicted, “We expected that data on edge devices would decrease with the introduction of the cloud, but we found that this was not actually the case,” adding, “Only 4% of edge data will move to the cloud, and the remaining 96% will stay at the edge.”

To achieve high capacity on edge devices, enhanced 3D memory technology is required. The iNAND 8521 EFD, released as a solution to realize this, is a product optimized for mobile devices with high data usage. The UFS 2.1 interface and Western Digital's 5th generation Smart SLC (Smart Single Level Cell) technology are applied.

Compared to the previous model, the iNAND 7250, it offers sequential write speeds of 500MB/s, which are more than twice as fast, and random write speeds of 45,000 IOPS, which are more than ten times faster. VR gameplay and HD movie downloads can also be processed more quickly.

The iNAND 7550 EFD, also unveiled, features the latest eMMC 51 standard and offers sequential write speeds of up to 260 MB/s, random read speeds of 20,000 IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second), and random write speeds of 15,000 IOPS. It boasts the best performance among eMMC-based products and incorporates 4th generation SmartSLC technology.

Jackie Bao, Director of Product Marketing for Western Digital’s Embedded/Integrated Solutions division, explained, “Western Digital operates a vertically integrated business model that covers design, development, production, and after-sales service,” adding, “We design and provide our own controllers and firmware.”

He added, “We have also continuously developed the 5th generation SmartSLC used in the iNAND 8521 through previous generations. While UFS standard products currently on the market have sequential write speeds of 260 MB/s, we can achieve up to 500 MB/s,” and “We are investing in UFS, but we are also continuing to invest in existing eMMC. The tipping point for UFS will come next year.”