Western Digital has released UFS 3.0 EU511, a 96-layer 3D NAND with read speed of 750MB/s

In addition to upgrading processors, smartphones will also upgrade memory chips to the latest standards this year. Mobile memory LPDDR5 standard was officially announced by JEDEC and flash will also be upgraded from UFS 2.0/2.1 to UFS 3.0, with read and write speed comparable to SSD. Western Digital has recently launched a new embedded flash, iNAND EU511. As a 96-layer 3D NAND, iNAND EU511 supports UFS 3.0, with a maximum capacity of 512GB. In addition, its read speed is up to 750MB/s, twice the previous generation. Such high-speed performance will provide a better experience for future 5G devices. 

In fact, WD announced the mass production of 96-layer 3D NAND at the end of last year. iNAND EU511 released recently is also a 96-layer NAND. Although WD did not officially announce its specific type, it is likely to be 3D TLC rather than 3D QLC. The reason is that Toshiba also released UFS 3.0 96-layer 3D TLC NAND, and the speed of promoting a new generation between WD and Toshiba is similar. WD iNAND EU511 supports UFS 3.0 Gear 4/2 Lane specification. Because UFS 3.0 single-channel bidirectional bandwidth is 11.6 Gbps, theoretical maximum of dual-channel bidirectional bandwidth is 23.2 Gbps, about 2.9 GB/s. Minimum capacity and maximum capacity of iNAND EU511 is 64GB and 512GB, respectively. Together with WD SmartSLC Generation 6, its read speed can reach 750MB/s. It’s said that sequential read speed is twice that of previous generations. Such performance also prepares a new generation of UFS 3.0 Flash for the upcoming 5G era. OdedSagee, senior director of Devices Division of WD, said, "Smartphones are increasingly becoming the center of interconnection. High-speed 5G network aims to achieve data transmission speed 100 times faster than before, and to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) on more devices. AI driven by an integrated neuro-processing unit (NPU) allows us to access big data rapidly, which will change the way we use smartphones. In the face of high demand of real-time edge computing, 5G devices must meet the basic conditions of strict data acquisition standards and access modes. With UFS 3.0 embedded flash, WD can enable users to seamlessly and instantly experience the new power of 5G applications on demand.” At present, OEMs have begun to produce WD iNAND EU511.