e.MMC – Embedded MultiMediaCard is a small postage stamp-sized or even smaller card format for NAND, a controller and an interface; a mini-SSD delivered in an industry-standard Ball Grid Array (BGA) package. The embedded memory standard has been defined by the MMC Association and JEDEC for embedded flash memory products typically for consumer applications. The current e.MMC standard is v5.1A, which can effectively deliver transfer speeds of up to about 400MBps. The “embedded” term is due to the storage usually being soldered directly onto the device’s motherboard, so it is not removable or easily replaceable.
Capacities range from 1GB to 512GB, with the most common being 32GB and 64GB. Products can be focussed on the industrial or consumer markets and use different grades of flash to provide a specific speed/capacity/endurance mix. For example, consemer e.MMC products could use TLC flash while industrial eMMC products might use faster SLC flash where speed is important and TLC where capacity or lower cost is the focus.
The embedded market is moving towards UFS technology but there are cases where e.MMC may still be used. This includes consumer products with mid-range storage requirements such as tablets, personal computers, point-of-sale devices and other portable handheld devices, as well as smart TVs and smart NICs. Meta’s Rayban Smart Glasses have 32GB of on-board e.MMC NAND for storing camera images.
