Universal Flash Storage (UFS) is specifically tailored for mobile applications and computing systems requiring high performance and low power consumption. In June 2012, JEDEC published a new UFS v1.1 standard, JESD220A, which is an update to the v1.0 standard published in 2011. JESD220A Universal Flash Storage v1.1 contains important amendments and references to the latest related MIPI® Alliance specifications, and may be downloaded free of charge (with registration) from the JEDEC website: http://www.jedec.org/standards-documents/results/jesd220a.

JEDEC has also published a complementary standard, JESD223A UFS Host Controller Interface (HCI) v1.1. JESD223A defines a standard host controller interface on which system designers can create a common host controller software driver layer to work with UFS host controller hardware from different manufacturers. The HCI functionality also enables higher performance and power efficiency by minimizing the involvement of the host processor in the operation of the Flash storage subsystem. JESD223A Universal Flash Storage Host Controller Interface v1.1 may also be downloaded free of charge: http://www.jedec.org/standards-documents/results/jesd223a.  

UFS v1.1 continues to build on JEDEC Flash memory storage standards designed to help address the growing demand for enhanced mobile storage solutions. To allow for easy transition from e·MMC technology, UFS v1.1 has implemented functionality that are compatible with e·MMC v4.51 command protocol improvements such as Context ID (grouping different memory transactions under a single ID so the device can understand that they are related), and Data Tag (tagging specific write transactions so they can be prioritized and targeted to a memory region with higher performance and better reliability). 

First published in February 2011, UFS is designed to be the most advanced specification for both embedded and removable Flash memory-based storage in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The initial data throughput for UFS is 300 megabytes per second (MB/s) over the bus in both uplink and downlink directions simultaneously, without infringing on bandwidth needed for other applications. UFS offers a low active power level and a near-zero idle power level, which, combined with the power-saving attributes of the related MIPI specifications, allows for significant reductions in device power consumption. The UFS standard adopts the well-known SCSI Architecture Model and command protocols supporting multiple commands with command queuing features and enabling a multi-thread programming paradigm. This differs from conventional Flash-based memory cards and embedded Flash solutions which process one command at a time, limiting random read/write access performance. The UFS HCI specification and the adoption of SCSI provide a well-known software programming model and are enabling wider market adoption. 

Work on UFS is coordinated by JEDEC's JC-64 Committee for Embedded Memory Storage and Removable Memory Cards, and is supported by principal consumer electronic and cell phone OEMs. In addition to UFS development work within JEDEC, some major participants have founded an organization, the Universal Flash Storage Association (UFSA), to develop an UFS ecosystem and support environment for UFS devices and host applications.