SK Hynix Develops NAND Solution 'ZUFS 4.0' for On-Device AI

ZUFS, Product Enhancing Data Management Efficiency
Improving Performance Compared to UFS and Extending Product Lifespan
Mass Production in Q3 for On-Device AI Phone Integration

SK Hynix has introduced the industry's highest-performance 'ZUFS (Zoned UFS) 4.0' to meet the growing demand for NAND flash in the era of on-device artificial intelligence (AI). The company plans to mass-produce the new product in the third quarter, aiming to strengthen its position in the AI memory market, including not only DRAM but also NAND.

Mobile NAND solution 'ZUFS (Zoned UFS) 4.0' developed by SK Hynix for on-device AI / [Image courtesy of SK Hynix]

SK Hynix announced on the 9th that it has successfully developed ZUFS 4.0, a mobile NAND solution for on-device AI. ZUFS is a product that enhances the data management efficiency of UFS (Universal Flash Storage), a flash memory used in electronic devices such as digital cameras and mobile phones. It is characterized by storing and managing data with similar properties in the same zone, optimizing data transfer between the operating system and storage device.

SK Hynix explained, "ZUFS 4.0 is a memory optimized for implementing on-device AI in mobile devices such as smartphones, boasting the industry's highest performance. Through this product, we aim to lead the AI memory market in NAND following the ultra-high-performance DRAM represented by high-bandwidth memory (HBM)."

Existing UFS stored data generated by smartphone apps simultaneously without spatial separation. In contrast, ZUFS stores various data in different zones according to criteria such as usage and frequency, improving the operating speed of the smartphone operating system (OS) and the management efficiency of the storage device.

As a result, ZUFS improved smartphone app execution time by approximately 45% compared to UFS in long-term usage environments. The degree of degradation in read and write performance of the storage device was improved more than four times compared to UFS, extending product lifespan by about 40%.

Since 2019, SK Hynix anticipated increasing market demand for high-performance NAND solutions and began developing ZUFS in collaboration with global platform companies. After producing ZUFS prototypes and providing them to customers, the company worked with customers to develop the 4.0 product compliant with the JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) standards based on the prototypes.

The company plans to mass-produce ZUFS 4.0 products starting in the third quarter. The mass-produced products will be installed in on-device AI smartphones released by global companies in the future.

Ahn Hyun, Vice President of SK Hynix (in charge of the N-S Committee), said, "As big tech companies focus on developing on-device AI equipped with their own generative AI, the memory requirements for this are increasing. We will timely supply high-performance NAND solutions that meet customer demands and strengthen partnerships with leading global companies to solidify our position as the world's top AI memory provider."

On-device AI refers to technology that implements AI functions within the device itself without relying on physically distant server computations. Since the smartphone device collects and processes information independently, the response speed of AI functions is faster, and personalized AI service capabilities are enhanced.