Common Flash Memory Interface
Encyclopedia
The Common Flash memory Interface (CFI) is an open standard jointly developed by AMD, Intel, Sharp
and Fujitsu
. AMD has sold its flash memory products division to Spansion. An overview about the specification is available at Spansion. It is an open standard, which means it is freely implementable by all flash memory
vendors, and has been approved by the non-volatile memory subcommittee of JEDEC
. The idea behind was the interchangeability of current and future flash memory devices offered by different vendors. The developer is able to use one driver for different flash products by reading identifying information out of the flash chip itself.
That information contains:
Benefits of this concept are:
Spansion
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
and Fujitsu
Fujitsu
is a Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is the world's third-largest IT services provider measured by revenues....
. AMD has sold its flash memory products division to Spansion. An overview about the specification is available at Spansion. It is an open standard, which means it is freely implementable by all flash memory
Flash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
vendors, and has been approved by the non-volatile memory subcommittee of JEDEC
JEDEC
The JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, formerly known as the Joint Electron Devices Engineering Council , is an independent semiconductor engineering trade organization and standardization body...
. The idea behind was the interchangeability of current and future flash memory devices offered by different vendors. The developer is able to use one driver for different flash products by reading identifying information out of the flash chip itself.
That information contains:
- Memory size
- Byte and word configuration
- Block configuration
- Voltages and timings
Benefits of this concept are:
- Basically no or little information about flash device has to be stored in tables within system software
- Possible to use lower cost flash memory devices as they become available, without rewriting code
- Adapting current software systems shall be done more easily and quickly than before
External links
JEDEC - free documents require registration- JEDEC - Common Flash Interface (CFI) Specification, JESD68.01, September 2003.
- JEDEC - CFI ID Codes, JEP137B, May 2004
- JEDEC - Standard Manufacturers ID Code, JEP106AC, August 2010
Spansion