Samsung Electronics is introducing the first embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) solution for use in automotive applications. Consisting of 128-gigabyte (GB) and 64GB versions, the new eUFS solution has been designed for driver-assistance systems (ADAS), dashboards and infotainment systems.

Embedded UFS solutions have been used in a variety of mobile applications since early 2015, when Samsung introduced 128GB embedded memory based on the JEDEC UFS 2.0 standard. Since then, the high performance and quality of UFS has led to its wide adoption in large numbers of mobile devices from flagship smartphones initially, to also now in mid-market smartphones.

Configured on the most up-to-date UFS standard (JEDEC UFS 2.1), the new Samsung eUFS will provide high data transfer speeds and data reliability. For example, the new Samsung 128GB eUFS can read data at up to 850 megabytes per second (MB/s), which is approximately 3.4 times faster than the 250MB/s read speed of today's eMMC 5.0 solutions. It also offers about 6.3 times faster random reading than eMMC at 45,000 IOPS.

The new eUFS solution also features an efficient error-handling process, which is essential for next-generation in-vehicle infotainment. Based on the MIPI UniPro protocol, the eUFS enables detecting and recovering from I/O error on hardware layers, without having to involve the host software or restarting tasks.

MIPI UniPro is a general purpose, unified protocol that services a wide range of interface needs in mobile and connected devices. The interface was developed by the MIPI Alliance UniPro Working Group and has been available since 2007. Its current version, v1.61, was released in 2015.

In addition, the Samsung eUFS supports advanced data refresh and temperature notification features for system reliability. The data refresh operation allows a choice of refresh methods, and provides information on the refresh unit, frequency and progress for the host device's control.

When it comes to thermal management, the Samsung eUFS equips the temperature sensor inside the controller to enable reliable device temperature control. This prevents the eUFS from crossing well-defined upper and lower temperature boundaries, thereby allowing its NAND cells to flawlessly function within a tough automotive temperature environment.

Samsung said it will continue releasing new automobile memory products that come with both improved capacities and performances.