14 DAY TRIAL // Embedded MultiMediaCards are an embedded, mom-volatile memory system made of both flash memory and a flash memory controller. They are used in a wide range of applications, such as consumer electronics, navigational systems and a variety of other industrial ones. Basically, the performance of these industrial applications is directly dependent on these cards. To enhance this performance, JEDEC Solid State Technology Association has released the JESD84-A441: Embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) Product Standard v4.41, meant to replace the now-obsolete v4.4.
EMMC v4.41 brings multiple benefits, both in regards to performance as well as efficiency and cost reductions. One thing it does is enhance performance by including a high-priority interrupt mechanism (HPI), which interrupts time-consuming operations (such as large-file copying) in order to “execute a high-priority read operation from the eŸMMC.”
When this operation is done, the device resumes the previous activity. The other performance-enhancing feature is a host-controlled background operations processing technique (BO), which lets the eMMC indicate when a background flash cleanup operation is needed.
These two technologies, along with corrections to critical errata and various other optional features, let designers improve performance, simplify the application-interface design and free the host processor from having to manage low-level flash memory. The time it takes for a certain product to reach the mass-production stage is also reduced. Other benefits include smaller BGA package sizes and a lower power consumption. This makes eMMC a viable choice for mobile products, as well as other compact electronics that rely on batteries.
"As mobile devices continue to require support for increasing amounts of mass storage memory, JEDEC is pleased to help address the storage demands of the market with eŸMMC: a low-cost, high-performance solution," Mian Quddus, chairman, JEDEC Board of Directors, said.
The JESD84-A441: Embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) Product Standard v4.41 can be downloaded from http://www.jedec.org/.