Nokia Corp., two handset rivals and semiconductor companies active in the memory space are pursuing an open standard dubbed universal flash storage that could smooth the uptake path for a variety of converged mobile and consumer electronics devices.
The standard is expected to be finished by 2009. If widely adopted, it would address the need for both improved onboard and removable flash memory for a wide range of devices that depend on relatively large files to deliver multimedia, gaming and other consumer experiences. That includes products currently envisioned by Nokia and its rivals/partners in the effort, which include Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, Texas Instruments Inc., STMicroelectronics, Spansion and Micron Technology.
Another standard?
In addition to driving a universal format for removable memory-now dominated by the secure digital format, but including other technologies such as Multimedia Card and Sony Corp.’s Memory Stick Micro-a new standard will also aim to speed access to memory and reduce a device’s power consumption in accessing and reading memory, according to analyst Shailendra Pandey at ABI Research.
Another benefit would be the presumed elimination of proprietary memory devices or adaptors that facilitate them that, for instance, Sony Ericsson has historically used-a potential aggravation to end users, Pandey said.
“The prospects are good (for UFS),” said Pandey. “It’ll be an open standard and that will allow several players to gain market share and make the memory space more competitive.”
Currently, despite the proliferation of standards, the SD format represents about 80% of the market. SanDisk, which makes devices for several standards, is the leading vendor in the space, according to the analyst.
The UFS standard could help uptake for a range of devices, from mobile handsets to digital cameras to portable multimedia and gaming devices that might run on a WiMAX network, Pandey said.
Nokia’s vision
Nokia, naturally, is looking down the road to a world where it has successfully transitioned from being a purveyor of “multimedia computing devices” and mere mobile phones, to a new incarnation as a content-and-services company.
“This standardization effort is in line with our vision as an Internet company,” said Matti Floman, senior technology manager in Nokia’s technology platforms division. “Convergence is ongoing and, in the future, consumers will have various types of devices. UFS will provide consumers with optimum compatibility between various devices.”
Widespread demand for higher memory densities and performance, plus the surging popularity of multimedia content, is accelerating the need for advanced memory solutions in removable card and embedded formats, according to Floman.
“UFS will provide a revolutionary leap toward enabling highspeed access to large multimedia files, while reducing power consumption in consumer electronics devices,” said Floman. “The target performance level is expected to be a significant advancement beyond that of the varied flash card formats popular today.”
Floman added that the consortium’s effort will take place within the auspices of the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the leading developer of standards for the semiconductor industry.
Storage gold
With the market demand for increased memory-both onboard and removable-there’s gold in them thar hills, according to ARC Chart.
“Storing digital media content is just one of the many applications of mobile phone memory,” ARC Chart said in a recent white paper. “And with handsets metamorphosing into handheld computers the race to integrate greater amounts of memory has begun. The acceleration in mobile phone memory capacity ranks as one of the industry’s fastest growth areas.”
“In the delicately balanced cost dynamics of a mobile phone, onboard memory is a rather rigid entity,” according to ARC Chart-meaning that handset vendors must consider the cost of onboard memory when including or excluding other features.
This balancing act in addressing a handset’s bill of materials has led to the current memory and handset pricing paradigm.
Most smartphones today offer a combination of memory options, according to the market analysis firm. Multimedia-centric handsets with premium pricing tend to offer high onboard memory via flash memory and hard drives. Phones with “flexible pricing”-i.e., prices that can be cut without sacrificing a healthy margin-tend to offer removable memory, which requires the consumer to choose and pay for desired levels of memory via the purchase of external memory cards.
ABI’s Pandey said the development of UFS would offer device makers the opportunity to provide handsets with greater onboard and removable memory options, while competition would make both options more affordable to the vendor and end user.
