Sandisk has unveiled what it claims to be the industry’s first automotive-grade UFS4.1 embedded flash drive, designed to meet the growing demands of AI-driven vehicle systems. The new device, the Sandisk iNAND AT EU752 UFS4.1 EFD, was introduced at the Embedded World 2025 conference and is set to play a key role in the evolution of Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs).
With increasing reliance on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), autonomous driving technology, and digital cockpits, modern vehicles require high-performance storage to process vast amounts of data in real time. Sandisk’s latest offering aims to enhance performance, facilitate faster over-the-air software updates, and reduce system downtime.
The iNAND AT EU752 UFS4.1 EFD is said to deliver more than twice the performance of its predecessor, the UFS3.1 device, and offers up to 1TB of storage capacity using Sandisk’s BiCS8 TLC NAND technology. The company claims this advancement will revolutionise automotive AI by improving data storage performance, endurance, and reliability.
Enhancing Automotive AI Performance
Modern AI-powered vehicle systems depend on storage solutions that can quickly access sensor data, maps, and AI databases. By providing a fast and reliable in-vehicle storage solution, Sandisk’s new embedded flash drive ensures critical data is accessible without relying on cloud connectivity, thereby minimising latency issues.
Key features of the iNAND AT EU752 UFS4.1 EFD include:
- Health status reporting, allowing vehicle systems to monitor storage health and take proactive measures to prevent failures.
- Fast boot capability, eliminating the need for separate NOR storage devices and ensuring essential safety features, such as rear-view cameras, activate within two seconds.
- Backward compatibility with UFS3.1 hosts, making integration with existing automotive systems seamless.
- Speeds of up to 3,900 MB/s sequential write and 4,200 MB/s sequential read (1TB version).
Future of Automotive Storage
The introduction of UFS4.1 technology marks a significant step forward for the automotive industry, where reliable, high-speed storage is becoming increasingly essential. Sandisk’s new embedded flash drive is currently being shipped to select customers and partners, expanding the company’s automotive-grade storage portfolio, which already includes SD cards, e.MMC, UFS2.1, UFS3.1, and NVMe products.
At Embedded World 2025, Sandisk is showcasing its latest flash storage solutions alongside its data centre offerings, such as the SanDisk DC SN861 NVMe SSD and the Ultrastar DC SN655 NVMe SSD.
With the continued growth of AI-driven vehicle technologies, high-performance storage solutions like the Sandisk iNAND AT EU752 UFS4.1 EFD are expected to play a crucial role in advancing the next generation of automotive innovation.