onfi.org - News

Q1: What is the mission of the ONFi Working Group?

A1: The mission of the working group supporting the Open NAND Flash Interface (ONFi) is to create a common industry standard for the interface used to communicate with NAND flash components. This increases the supply-base for standard components, reduces design-time and improves time-to-market for a wide range of NAND based applications.

Q2: Is this another card standard?

A2: No, ONFi is not another card standard. It defines the interface to the NAND flash component itself, while cards often have a controller in addition to the flash component. However, ONFI is currently defining NAND modules (similar to DRAM DIMMs) for use in applications like caching and SSDs in PC platforms.

Q3: Does ONFi have any plans to include more member companies in the organization?

A3: The group is actively recruiting and accepting new members. Member benefits include access to draft specifications, participation in working groups and the ability to influence decision making at the board level. In exchange, member companies contribute resources that jointly advance ONFi efforts. Visit http://ONFi.org/membership.html for instructions on how to join.

Q4: When were the ONFi specifications released?

A4: ONFi released the final 1.0 specification on December 28, 2006 and has made the 0.9 draft of the ONFi 2.0 specification available to member companies on November 7, 2007. The final ONFi 2.0 specification is expected to be published in January 2008.

Q5: What is the difference between the ONFi 1.0 and 2.0 specs?

A5: The key difference between ONFi 1.0 and 2.0 is speed: we’ve increased the maximum interface speed to 133 MB/second from the legacy NAND interface maximum speed of 50 MB/second. ONFI has put in place forward looking features to enable future high speed generations that may reach 400 MB/s in the third generation. With this focus on speed, scalability, and the industry support of more than 70 member companies, the ONFi specification is making its mark on NAND flash.

The working group has also created an addendum specification that allows a “block abstraction” capability. The block abstraction (BA) specification manages different NAND flash components, relieving the host from dealing with ECC, bad block tracking, and other low level NAND management tasks. An addendum specification for a NAND DIMM connector specification is in progress and will be published in the first half of 2008.

Q6: When will the next revision of the specification be complete? What improvements will be made in the next generation development efforts?

A6: Development for the third generation specifications will begin in January 2008 and will include another significant speed enhancement from the 2.0 spec. The target is to double the ONFI 2.0 interface speed to achieve 266 MB/s.

Q7: How will the new ONFi standard help speed time-to-market for NAND-based products?

A7: ONFi improves the time-to-market in two principal ways:
1. By improving uniformity in the behavior of the interface to the NAND components, the design of a flash controller that supports a range of flash components is simplified.
2. By reducing design time of flash components in end use applications and enabling the use of a new generation of NAND components without the need for design or firmware changes.

Q8: How will developers, OEMs and ODMs benefit from the work done by the ONFi Working Group?

A8: These groups will benefit from improved uniformity in the behavior of various flash components offered by multiple sources. OEMs and ODMs will also benefit from the substantial performance increases offered by ONFI 2.0 that provide significant gains in SSD and caching applications.

Q9: When will we begin to see products based on the new 2.0 specification?

A9: We expect to see member companies roll out initial products in the second half of 2008. For information on products based on ONFi, please contact the various product suppliers directly. Links to all current member companies can be found online at http://www.ONFi.org/ONFimembers.html.

Q10: What types of products will ONFi 2.0 be seen in first?

A10: ONFi improves embedded integration of flash into a range of products including those that use flash components today, such as mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players, notebooks, etc. However, it is likely that the benefits of ONFi 2.0 will first be realized in PC platforms. With the significantly faster speeds that ONFI 2.0 delivers, SSDs and caching solutions will deliver substantive benefits on PC platform workloads.

Q11: Why was ONFi formed to do this work instead of the work being done in another industry standards organization?

A11: ONFi was formed because the founding companies recognized there was a need in the industry for an open solution to address demands for efficient use of a range of NAND devices in product designs. The group is not aware of any other standards organization that focuses on the NAND flash component level interface and with similar objectives to ONFi. Consequently the ONFi founders felt an agile, dedicated, single-purpose group would deliver a viable solution in a more timely manner than some of the larger multi-purpose industry organizations. The benefit of a single-purpose and dedicated group can be seen in the rapid development of the ONFI 1.0 specification, which was published less than eight months after the group’s formation.

Q12: What is ONFi’s future roadmap?

A12: ONFi will continue to improve interface performance of the NAND flash in succeeding specification releases. ONFi is currently defining a NAND DIMM connector for easy use of NAND in computing platforms and other applications; this addendum specification is targeted for release in the first half of 2008.



Home News Documentation Specification Errata Membership ONFI Members Contact Us	Q1: What is the mission of the ONFi Working Group? A1: The mission of the working group supporting the Open NAND Flash Interface (ONFi) is to create a common industry standard for the interface used to communicate with NAND flash components. This increases the supply-base for standard components, reduces design-time and improves time-to-market for a wide range of NAND based applications. Q2: Is this another card standard? A2: No, ONFi is not another card standard. It defines the interface to the NAND flash component itself, while cards often have a controller in addition to the flash component. However, ONFI is currently defining NAND modules (similar to DRAM DIMMs) for use in applications like caching and SSDs in PC platforms. Q3: Does ONFi have any plans to include more member companies in the organization? A3: The group is actively recruiting and accepting new members. Member benefits include access to draft specifications, participation in working groups and the ability to influence decision making at the board level. In exchange, member companies contribute resources that jointly advance ONFi efforts. Visit http://ONFi.org/membership.html for instructions on how to join. Q4: When were the ONFi specifications released? A4: ONFi released the final 1.0 specification on December 28, 2006 and has made the 0.9 draft of the ONFi 2.0 specification available to member companies on November 7, 2007. The final ONFi 2.0 specification is expected to be published in January 2008. Q5: What is the difference between the ONFi 1.0 and 2.0 specs? A5: The key difference between ONFi 1.0 and 2.0 is speed: we’ve increased the maximum interface speed to 133 MB/second from the legacy NAND interface maximum speed of 50 MB/second. ONFI has put in place forward looking features to enable future high speed generations that may reach 400 MB/s in the third generation. With this focus on speed, scalability, and the industry support of more than 70 member companies, the ONFi specification is making its mark on NAND flash. The working group has also created an addendum specification that allows a “block abstraction” capability. The block abstraction (BA) specification manages different NAND flash components, relieving the host from dealing with ECC, bad block tracking, and other low level NAND management tasks. An addendum specification for a NAND DIMM connector specification is in progress and will be published in the first half of 2008. Q6: When will the next revision of the specification be complete? What improvements will be made in the next generation development efforts? A6: Development for the third generation specifications will begin in January 2008 and will include another significant speed enhancement from the 2.0 spec. The target is to double the ONFI 2.0 interface speed to achieve 266 MB/s. Q7: How will the new ONFi standard help speed time-to-market for NAND-based products? A7: ONFi improves the time-to-market in two principal ways: 1. By improving uniformity in the behavior of the interface to the NAND components, the design of a flash controller that supports a range of flash components is simplified. 2. By reducing design time of flash components in end use applications and enabling the use of a new generation of NAND components without the need for design or firmware changes. Q8: How will developers, OEMs and ODMs benefit from the work done by the ONFi Working Group? A8: These groups will benefit from improved uniformity in the behavior of various flash components offered by multiple sources. OEMs and ODMs will also benefit from the substantial performance increases offered by ONFI 2.0 that provide significant gains in SSD and caching applications. Q9: When will we begin to see products based on the new 2.0 specification? A9: We expect to see member companies roll out initial products in the second half of 2008. For information on products based on ONFi, please contact the various product suppliers directly. Links to all current member companies can be found online at http://www.ONFi.org/ONFimembers.html. Q10: What types of products will ONFi 2.0 be seen in first? A10: ONFi improves embedded integration of flash into a range of products including those that use flash components today, such as mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players, notebooks, etc. However, it is likely that the benefits of ONFi 2.0 will first be realized in PC platforms. With the significantly faster speeds that ONFI 2.0 delivers, SSDs and caching solutions will deliver substantive benefits on PC platform workloads. Q11: Why was ONFi formed to do this work instead of the work being done in another industry standards organization? A11: ONFi was formed because the founding companies recognized there was a need in the industry for an open solution to address demands for efficient use of a range of NAND devices in product designs. The group is not aware of any other standards organization that focuses on the NAND flash component level interface and with similar objectives to ONFi. Consequently the ONFi founders felt an agile, dedicated, single-purpose group would deliver a viable solution in a more timely manner than some of the larger multi-purpose industry organizations. The benefit of a single-purpose and dedicated group can be seen in the rapid development of the ONFI 1.0 specification, which was published less than eight months after the group’s formation. Q12: What is ONFi’s future roadmap? A12: ONFi will continue to improve interface performance of the NAND flash in succeeding specification releases. ONFi is currently defining a NAND DIMM connector for easy use of NAND in computing platforms and other applications; this addendum specification is targeted for release in the first half of 2008.