Smartphones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3and Dimensity 9300 chipsets can now run on-device LLMs (Large Language Models), giving them the same capabilities equivalent to significantly bigger machines. Unfortunately, running AI-related programs on handsets is a resource-intensive task, one that not only requires computing horsepower but also ample amounts of memory and storage, with an earlier report stating that 20GB RAM on future smartphonesmight become a standard to support this functionality. As for storage, Samsung has a solution for that, and it is rumored to be a new version of the UFS 4.0 standard that is optimized for AI.

Senior researcher also states that running AI operations will require around 15 percent of a smartphone’s available storage

It is difficult to determine how much storage needs to be allocated for AI operations to be carried out on smartphones. Still, Revegnus may have a clue, thanks to the claims of Omdia Senior Researcher Yeon Seung-hoon, who states the following while talking about the requirements:

“Next year, with the integration of AI features in smartphones, there will be growth opportunities for storage. To drive AI operations, including learning and inference, more than 15% of the total smartphone storage must be utilized.”

We have seen iPhones ship with 1TB of internal storage, but Android flagships typically feature 256GB of onboard memory as standard, with the less expensive models featuring half that amount. However, with AI operations running, releasing 512GB storage variants might become compulsory, as 15 percent of that will be a whopping 76.8GB. Keep in mind that the operating system storage requirements are separate, not to mention that continuous app updates will gobble that onboard memory instantly.

To help remedy this, Samsung is said to be working on a new version of UFS 4.0 optimized for AI operations, though the details remain elusive now. The Korean manufacturer may employ some compression algorithms or programming that allows AI programs to use less storage on its UFS 4.0 flash. The rumor does not mention if the read and write speeds of the new UFS 4.0 version will receive an upgrade, as that would be helpful, too.

Given that Samsung had recently applied for the trademarks ‘AI Phone’ and ‘AI Smartphone,’ the Galaxy S24 series could be the first to feature this new version of UFS 4.0. As always, without receiving confirmation from the company, we recommend readers treat this rumor with a pinch of salt. If there is a new version of UFS 4.0, we should get to see it shortly through Samsung’s official press release, so stay tuned.