In the AI era, as data movement and capacity increase, memory performance is also becoming an important factor in realizing on-device AI. SK Hynix has demonstrated new achievements by demonstrating its next-generation technology leadership in NAND flash.

SK Hynix announced on the 9th that it has successfully developed 'ZUFS (Zoned UFS) 4.0', a mobile NAND solution product for on-device AI.

ZUFS (Zoned Universal Flash Storage) manages data generated from smartphone apps according to the characteristics of each data. Unlike the existing UFS, which stores data simultaneously without spatial distinction, ZUFS stores various data in different spaces (Zones) according to criteria such as purpose and frequency of use, thereby increasing the operating speed of the smartphone OS and the management efficiency of the storage device.

This is a product that improves the data management efficiency of UFS, a flash memory product used in electronic products such as digital cameras and mobile phones. It is a technology that optimizes data transfer between the operating system and storage device by storing and managing data with similar characteristics in the same zone.

Through this, ZUFS has improved smartphone app execution time by approximately 45% compared to existing UFS in long-term usage environments. In addition, the read and write performance of the storage device has been improved by more than four times compared to UFS, and the product lifespan has also been increased by approximately 40%.
SK Hynix emphasized, “ZUFS 4.0 is a memory optimized for implementing on-device AI in mobile devices such as smartphones, and has achieved the industry’s highest performance,” and “Through this product, we will lead the AI memory market in NAND following ultra-high-performance DRAM represented by HBM.”

SK Hynix anticipated that there would be market demand for high-performance NAND solutions in 2019, before the arrival of the AI boom, and began developing ZUFS in collaboration with global platform companies.

We built an early stage ZUFS prototype and provided it to a customer, and based on that prototype, we worked with the customer to develop a 4.0 product that complies with the JEDEC standard. The company plans to begin mass production of ZUFS 4.0 products starting in the third quarter, and the mass-produced products will be installed in on-device AI smartphones to be released by global companies in the future.

SK hynix Vice President Ahn Hyun (in charge of NS Committee) said, “As big tech companies focus on developing on-devices equipped with their own generative AI, the demand for the memory required for these is increasing,” and “While providing high-performance NAND solutions that meet customer needs in a timely manner, we will strengthen our partnerships with leading global companies to solidify our status as the ‘global No. 1 AI memory provider.’”