JEDEC has released the UFS 5.0 standards: read speeds up to 10.8 GB/s for ultra-fast mobile devices

UFS 5.0: a new flash memory standard from JEDEC

The JEDEC organization, which develops memory specifications, has announced the release of new requirements for UFS 5.0 flash storage.

MetricLevel in UFS 4.0New level UFS 5.0Sequential throughput (read/write)up to 5.8 GB/sup to 10.8 GB/sUnidirectional PCIe 4.0 x4 speed 8 GB/s
Thus, UFS 5.0 almost doubles the speed compared with the previous generation and even exceeds the theoretical maximum of a single PCIe 4.0 x4 lane.

Why faster?
The main reason is an updated physical interface.

* MIPI M‑PHY v6.0 in HS‑GEAR6 mode allows up to 46.6 Gb/s per lane.
* In dual‑lane configuration this yields ≈10.8 GB/s effective throughput.

In addition, the new standard includes:

- higher signal integrity;
- more stable power delivery;
- new data protection mechanisms.

How does UFS 5.0 compare with NVMe?
Although the maximum speed of PCIe 4.0 x4 is 8 GB/s, the actual SSD throughput depends on many factors: controller, queue depth, temperature, firmware, and workload type.

UFS storage devices are still aimed at embedded systems where low power consumption and compactness matter. Therefore they do not target “peak” speeds like PCIe 5.0 x4 (up to 16 GB/s), but they offer higher performance than previous UFS versions.

What’s next?
The appearance of mass‑market devices based on UFS 5.0 will take time.
Kioxia is already supplying test chips of 512 GB and 1 TB in a 7.5 × 13 mm package, intended for the next generation of mobile gadgets.

Thus, the new standard promises a significant speed boost without sacrificing energy efficiency, making it an attractive choice for future smartphones and portable devices.