Over a decade ago, a new and exciting technology emerged that combined a NAND die and a NAND controller into a single BGA package: e-MMC*. Intended for use in the mobile market, e-MMC enabled engineers to focus on other aspects of their design while the embedded controller handled the complexities of NAND flash memory such as bad block handling, wear leveling and garbage collection.
e-MMC or UFS?
As smartphone features became more sophisticated, storage capacity expanded rapidly with each new model. The market was faced with a challenge: e-MMC had limitations and the interface speed and read/write performance had already maxed out. It was clear a new technology was needed to store the growing volume of photos, videos, games and applications with greater speed and efficiency. Enter UFS (Universal Flash Storage), a technology that continues to evolve to meet the demands of the mobile market.
What did that mean for e-MMC? Initially, UFS was thought to be the replacement for e-MMC, which meant its lifespan would be short. With faster speeds and lower power consumption, UFS became the memory of choice over e-MMC and as smartphone storage increased, there was less of a need for lower density e-MMC. As a result, many believed e-MMC would become obsolete.
e-MMC Expands Its Reach
Instead of disappearing, e-MMC found a new niche in other markets. Applications such as printers, routers, fitness trackers, handheld POS systems, security panels, and e-readers benefitted from the cost advantages of MLC (multi-level cell) while the performance met their application needs. Also, these types of applications will maintain their current storage capacities as long as they exist in the market.
The result of this transition? Many suppliers extended or expanded their e-MMC product line up rather than ending it altogether.
Flash Forward to Today
As NAND manufacturers focus on advanced technology nodes and as legacy production lines age, e-MMC’s availability is becoming more limited in the market. This raises concerns about the long-term future for e-MMC especially for applications requiring lower capacity. Designers may need to consider migrating to higher capacity products or look at other memory alternatives. Looking back, e-MMC has been an unexpected success, remaining a technology favorite for low- to mid-range storage requirements.
Universal Flash Storage (UFS) is a product category for a class of embedded memory products built to the JEDEC UFS standard specification. Due to its serial interface, UFS supports full duplexing, which enables both concurrent reading and writing between the host processor and UFS device.
*Naming convention of this product may vary amongst suppliers
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Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of KIOXIA America, Inc.