AEROSPACE, MILITARY & DEFENCE


device confi guration, not just an interface. Changes in NAND generation or process can affect error rates, endurance characteristics and latency behaviour. When these are managed within the device, the impact on the host system is contained.


The Ferri family follows this approach, with controlled BOM confi gurations and lifecycle management. Devices are not treated as drop-in interchangeable parts across different NAND revisions, which helps maintain alignment between qualifi ed and production units over time.


Managing NAND wear and data integrity


NAND characteristics degrade with program/ erase cycling and retention time. Raw bit error rates increase, retention margins reduce, and read disturb accumulates with repeated access.


FerriSSD addresses this through NANDXtend, which uses LDPC error correction alongside internal data protection mechanisms to maintain data integrity as NAND wears. ECC strength and management strategies are adjusted within the controller to extend usable life.


Background management is also used to manage degradation. IntelligentScan monitors block condition and error rates to identify areas approaching endurance limits. DataRefresh relocates data to maintain retention margins and reduce the impact of read disturb over time.


These mechanisms operate within the device and are transparent to the host, reducing the need for system-level management of NAND ageing effects.


Behaviour under unstable power conditions


Power instability is a common condition in embedded systems. Voltage drops or interruptions during program or erase operations can leave mapping tables or metadata in an inconsistent state. If not handled correctly, this can result in corrupted address mapping, inaccessible data, or device-level recovery events. FerriSSD includes internal mechanisms to maintain mapping integrity during power disturbance and to restore a consistent state on the next power-up. The exact implementation varies by device, but the objective is to prevent corruption of critical metadata structures during incomplete operations.


Security at device level


Storage integrity also depends on protecting the device from unauthorised modifi cation.


FerriSSD supports security features such as secure boot, fi rmware authentication, and hardware-based encryption, depending on the specifi c model. These features allow integration into system-level security architectures where trust in the storage device is required.


Different roles within the same system


Embedded platforms often include multiple storage requirements. High-performance subsystems benefi t from PCIe NVMe-based FerriSSD devices, where throughput and latency are priorities. Control subsystems, with tighter constraints on power and footprint, are typically served by Ferri-eMMC devices compliant with the eMMC 5.1 standard.


Maintaining alignment over time The challenge in long-life systems is maintaining alignment between initial qualifi cation and later production. Component-level changes can introduce differences in latency behaviour, error rates and background management activity. These changes are not always visible immediately but can lead to instability over time. Storage devices with controlled


confi gurations and defi ned lifecycle support reduce this risk. The behaviour validated during qualifi cation remains representative of production units, limiting the need for requalifi cation and reducing the likelihood of fi eld issues linked to component variation. This also simplifi es system design and support. Software and hardware can be developed against stable device characteristics without needing to account for variation introduced over time.


Long-term behaviour over peak performance


In long-service systems, peak performance is less important than stable operation over time.


Silicon Motion’s Ferri family is designed to manage NAND behaviour internally and maintain alignment with validated performance characteristics across the product lifecycle. Integration, lifecycle control, and internal management of NAND degradation support reliable operation under long-term deployment conditions. That alignment determines whether a system continues to operate as expected or begins to show intermittent faults that are diffi cult to diagnose once deployed.


OCTOBER 2026 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS 27


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