Kioxia Corporation announced on February 24 that it has begun shipping evaluation samples of UFS 5.0, the next-generation embedded flash memory standard currently being developed by JEDEC, designed specifically to meet the performance demands of high-end smartphones with on-device AI capabilities.
The new standard is a massive leap forward. UFS 5.0 leverages MIPI M-PHY version 6.0 for its physical layer and UniPro version 3.0 for the protocol.
Within that physical layer, a new mode called HS-GEAR6 supports interface speeds of up to 46.6 Gbps per lane, and with two lanes working together, the result is approximately 10.8 GB/s of effective read/write performance.
For reference, the previous UFS 4.0 standard peaked at around 4,200 MB/s, meaning UFS 5.0 more than doubles the theoretical speed in a single generation.
A tiny chip packing next-level technology
The evaluation samples Kioxia is shipping incorporate an in-house developed controller built specifically for UFS 5.0, paired with the company’s 8th-generation BiCS FLASH 3D memory, which uses CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology to improve power efficiency, performance, and density simultaneously.
The package itself has been redesigned to fit into a compact 7.5 x 13 mm footprint, giving device manufacturers more flexibility on board design without sacrificing capability.
Samples are currently available in 512 GB capacity, with 1 TB units scheduled to begin shipping in March 2026.
These are being sent directly to chipset vendors developing UFS 5.0-compatible host systems, allowing them to evaluate performance and run interoperability testing ahead of commercial deployment.
On-device AI is driving the demand
The timing of UFS 5.0 is no coincidence. As smartphone makers push harder into on-device AI, running complex models locally without relying on cloud connectivity, the need for storage that can keep up has become critical.
Faster flash memory means AI features can access and process data more quickly, translating into snappier performance for everything from real-time translation to generative AI tools running directly on your phone.
Maitry Dholakia, Vice President of the Memory Business Unit at Kioxia America, stated that by delivering the high speeds required for advanced on-device AI and providing early high-capacity samples, the company is helping customers accelerate the development and validation of future-ready smartphones.
It’s worth clarifying that UFS 5.0 has not been fully standardized by JEDEC yet, and Kioxia notes that the specifications of commercial products will differ from what’s currently being evaluated.
Still, getting samples into the hands of hardware developers this early signals that the industry is moving fast, and UFS 5.0-equipped smartphones could be closer than many expected.
Do you think UFS 5.0 will make a real difference in how AI features perform on your next phone? Tell us what you think in the comments!