14 DAY TRIAL // One might be tempted to say that eMMC has no bearing on their lives, but that would be wrong, seeing as how embedded memory chips are used in everything from phones to tablets. So hearing that performance has suddenly doubled is relevant indeed.
JEDEC, short for Joint Electron Device Engineering Council, is a standard-setting organization that essentially guides the market of NAND Flash memory.
It decides when and how to improve the performance and storage parameters of NAND chips, and is always working on a new specification.
The newest specification, eMMC 5.0, defines embedded memory chips that can transfer data at 400 MB/s.
Previously, the upper limit was of 200 MB/s, which was already quite high. Not that anyone is about to complain about the improvement.
Naturally, this is nothing but good news for all tablets, smartphones and pretty much every device out there that is too small for an SSD (or doesn't use memory cards for whatever reason). Well, all such products that haven't been made yet anyway.
"Standardization synergies have been efficiently focused on speed enhancement features, as well as manufacturability and reliability improvements," said Marco Dallabora, Micron’s senior director of mobile technology.
The new standard includes a field firmware update procedure that can load and install a new version or patch of eMMC firmware when said eMMC device is operational in whatever system it is installed in.
It also includes a way to inform the device about specific phases (content pre-loading, soldering, and integration in the final system) during the production phase.
"This critical evolution in the e.MMC standard will go a long way in helping to expand the market for high-end mobile devices with provisioning for cost-efficient production advancements, and functionality that allows users to enjoy exceptionally fast, high definition content with enhanced usability," said Jim Elliott, vice president of memory marketing at Samsung Semiconductor.