8th Generation BiCS FLASH Technology Delivers Performance, Efficiency Gains

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced that it has begun sampling¹ new Universal Flash Storage² (UFS) Ver. 4.1 embedded memory devices with 4-bit-per-cell, quadruple-level cell (QLC) technology. Designed for read-intensive applications and high-capacity storage needs, the new devices are powered by KIOXIA’s 8^th generation BiCS FLASH^TM 3D flash memory technology.

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Well-suited for smartphones and tablets, KIOXIA QLC UFS also supports emerging product categories that demand higher capacity and performance, including PCs, networking, AR/VR, IoT, and AI-enabled devices.

QLC UFS offers a higher bit density than traditional TLC UFS, making it suitable for mobile applications that require higher storage capacities. Advancements in controller technology and error correction have enabled QLC technology to achieve this while maintaining competitive performance.

Building on these advancements, the new Kioxia devices achieve substantial performance increases³. KIOXIA’s QLC UFS boosts sequential write speeds by 25%, random read speeds by 90%, and random write speeds by 95% compared to the previous generation (UFS 4.0/BiCS6 QLC UFS)⁴. Write Amplification Factor (WAF) is also improved by up to 3.5x (with WriteBooster disabled).

Well-suited for smartphones and tablets, KIOXIA QLC UFS also supports emerging product categories that demand higher capacity and performance, including PCs, networking, AR/VR, IoT, and AI-enabled devices.

Available in 512-gigabyte (GB) and 1-terabyte (TB) capacities, the new UFS 4.1 devices combine KIOXIA’s advanced BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and an integrated controller in a JEDEC^®-standard package. KIOXIA’s 8th generation BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory introduces CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology - an architectural innovation that marks a step-change in flash memory design.

Key features include:

• Compliant with the UFS 4.1 specification. UFS 4.1 is backward-compatible with UFS 4.0 and UFS 3.1.
• KIOXIA BiCS FLASH generation 8 3D flash memory
• WriteBooster support for significantly faster write speeds
• Reduced package size compared to the previous QLC UFS: 11×13 mm → 9×13 mm

“Kioxia continues to advance flash memory technology to meet the growing demand for higher-capacity, high-performance storage,” said Maitry Dholakia, vice president, Memory Business Unit, KIOXIA America, Inc. “Our QLC UFS 4.1 devices reflect ongoing innovation in both architecture and design, enabling our customers to build increasingly capable mobile and connected products.”

For more information, please visit www.kioxia.com and follow the company on X, formerly known as Twitter and LinkedIn^®.

About KIOXIA America, Inc.

KIOXIA America, Inc. is the U.S.-based subsidiary of KIOXIA Corporation, a leading worldwide supplier of flash memory and solid-state drives (SSDs). From the invention of flash memory to today’s breakthrough BiCS FLASH™ 3D technology, KIOXIA continues to pioneer innovative memory, SSD and software solutions that enrich people's lives and expand society's horizons. The company's innovative 3D flash memory technology, BiCS FLASH, is shaping the future of storage in high-density applications, including advanced smartphones, PCs, automotive systems, data centers and generative AI systems. For more information, please visit KIOXIA.com.

© 2026 KIOXIA America, Inc. All rights reserved. Information in this press release, including product pricing and specifications, content of services, and contact information is current and believed to be accurate on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice. Technical and application information contained here is subject to the most recent applicable KIOXIA product specifications.

Notes:

1: Specification of the samples may differ from commercial products

2: Universal Flash Storage (UFS) is a product category for a class of embedded memory products built to the JEDEC UFS standard specification. Due to its serial interface, UFS supports full duplexing, which enables both concurrent reading and writing between the host processor and UFS device

3: Based on Kioxia internal testing

4: 512GB product, when WriteBooster is enabled

In every mention of a KIOXIA product: Product density is identified based on the density of memory chips(s) within the product, not the amount of memory capacity available for data storage by the end user. In terms of product capacity, available user storage capacity (including examples of various media files) will vary based on file size, formatting, settings, software and operating system, pre-installed software applications, media content, and other constraints. Actual formatted capacity may vary. KIOXIA Corporation defines a gigabit (Gb) as 1,073,741,824 bits, a megabyte (MB) as 1,000,000 bytes, a gigabyte (GB) as 1,000,000,000 bytes and a terabyte (TB) as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. However, a computer operating system, reports storage capacity using powers of 2 for the definition of 1 GB = 2^30 bytes = 1,073,741,824 bytes and 1 TB = 2^40 bytes = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes.

Read and write speeds are the best values obtained in a specific test environment at Kioxia Corporation and Kioxia Corporation warrants neither read nor write speeds in individual devices. Read and write speed may vary depending on a device used and file size read or written.

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All company names, product names and service names may be trademarks of third-party companies.

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“Our QLC UFS 4.1 devices reflect ongoing innovation in both architecture and design, enabling our customers to build increasingly capable mobile and connected products.”