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Ready for it? 2018 smartphones will have up to 512GB of ultra-fast storage memory

By Luis D.

Mar 09, 2017, 8:56 AM

Ready for it? 2018 smartphones will have up to 512GB of ultra-fast storage memory

Yes, smartphones are already so fast we have grown accustomed to it. But technology dictates that they will be getting even faster... unless someone established an upper limit and we hit the ceiling. It could happen... like a 100 years from now, or so. But the near future holds no such promises. Rather, it sees UFS storage for smartphones and other mobile devices capable of read/write performance of up to 50,000 / 40,000 IOPS – available as early as next year! For perspective, consider that current UFS memory solutions hang around 19,000 / 14,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second).

First used by Samsung inside the Galaxy S6 series, UFS storage enabled read and write speeds way beyond the eMMC standard's possibilities. A company by the name of Silicon Motion Technology has managed to improve the technology and announce a line of UFS 2.1 memory controllers. In addition to the outrageous speeds listed above, they support memory modules of up to 512GB capacity and boast improved power consumption. Compared to the eMMC 5.1 memory that's still prevalent in non-flagship devices, UFS 2.1 is up to three times faster. It is also expected to supplant eMMC technology completely in the next five years.

Production of the new UFS 2.1 controllers will begin later this year. They are currently being sampled to "select OEM partners."