KIOXIA starts sampling UFS 5.0 devices after JEDEC publishes the 5.0 spec
UFS 5.0 has been published, and the spec targets up to 10.8 GB/s for sequential read and write throughput. That is close to a 2x jump over the 5.8 GB/s figure commonly quoted for UFS 4.0 class devices, and it also exceeds the 8.0 GB/s one-direction bandwidth limit of a PCIe 4.0 x4 link on paper.
The speed increase is tied to the physical layer update. KIOXIA’s announcement points to MIPI M-PHY v6.0 and its HS-GEAR6 mode (up to 46.6 Gbps per lane), which is how a 2-lane configuration reaches about 10.8 GB/s effective performance.
The UFS 5.0 features include improved signal integrity, improved power integrity, and new data protection features, rather than only raising the peak transfer number.
| UFS Standards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz.com | UFS 2.1 | UFS 3.0 / 3.1 | UFS 4.0 | UFS 5.0 🆕 |
| Typical MIPI M-PHY generation | v3.1 | v4.1 | v5.0 | v6.0 |
| High-speed “Gear” | HS-G3 | HS-G4 | HS-G5 | HS-G6 |
| Max data rate per lane (Gbps) | 5.8 | 11.6 | 23.2 to 23.3 | 46.6 |
| Max data rate, 2 lanes (Gbps) | 11.6 | 23.2 | 46.4 to 46.6 | 93.2 |
| Raw bandwidth math (GB/s), 2 lanes (Gbps ÷ 8) | 1.45 | 2.90 | 5.80 to 5.83 | 11.65 |
| Typical peak sequential (device-level) | (varies by device) | ~2.9 GB/s theoretical | ~5.8 GB/s theoretical | ~10.8 GB/s effective |
Even with the raw throughput figure, the comparison to NVMe needs context. PCIe 4.0 x4 tops out at 8 GB/s in one direction at the bus level, but real SSD performance depends on controller behavior, queue depth, thermals, firmware, and workload, and UFS parts are still optimized for embedded power and space constraints. PCIe 5.0 storage remains ahead on peak bandwidth, with a PCIe 5.0 x4 link reaching 16 GB/s in one direction.
Hardware based on UFS 5.0 will still take time to arrive in consumer devices. On the supply side, KIOXIA says it is already sampling 512 GB and 1 TB UFS 5.0 devices in a 7.5 × 13 mm package, aimed at next-generation mobile designs and interoperability testing with UFS 5.0 hosts.
Source: Kioxia , Liliputing
