UFS 5.0 Promises Double the Speed for AI Workloads — and Could Finally Win Over Google Pixel

Just months after Google’s Pixel lineup finally upgraded to faster UFS 4.1 storage in select Pixel 10 models, a new generation of flash storage has arrived — and it’s a massive leap forward. The newly announced UFS 5.0 standard delivers twice the speed of its predecessor, a jump that could make it too tempting for Google to ignore in future devices.

UFS 4.0, introduced in 2022, offered impressive sequential read speeds of 4.2 GB/s, roughly double the 2.1 GB/s of UFS 3.x. But UFS 5.0 takes things to an entirely new level. According to JEDEC, the standards body behind UFS, the new specification pushes sequential performance up to a staggering 10.8 GB/s — a roughly 160% improvement over UFS 4.0.

So what’s driving this dramatic leap? JEDEC makes it clear: the primary motivation is AI. The organization says the new performance ceiling is designed specifically to “meet the demands of artificial intelligence.”

That focus should be particularly relevant for Google. Pixel phones were stuck with UFS 3.1 storage from the Pixel 6 (2021) onward, and while the Pixel 10 series finally moved to UFS 4.0 in higher-capacity models, the performance boost has been modest. Still, it was a welcome improvement. Now, with UFS 5.0 explicitly optimized for AI — the cornerstone of Google’s entire Pixel strategy — there’s hope that the company will embrace the upgrade more aggressively in future devices.

There’s no official word yet on when UFS 5.0 chips will enter mass production, but the technology’s potential impact is clear.

Key highlights of the UFS 5.0 standard include:

• ⚡ Up to 10.8 GB/s sequential performance to handle next-generation AI workloads.

• 🔄 Integrated link equalization for more stable and reliable signal integrity.

• 🔌 Separate power rails for the PHY and memory subsystems, improving noise isolation and simplifying system integration.

• 🔐 Inline hashing to enhance security at the hardware level.

With AI performance becoming the defining benchmark of modern smartphones, UFS 5.0 could be a game-changer — and perhaps the upgrade that finally brings Pixel storage tech fully in line with Google’s AI ambitions.