CompactFlash Association, the organization managing professional removable media specifications, has unveiled the CFexpress 4.0 standard, the successor to CFexpress 2.0 announced in 2019. The latest generation doubles the speeds of its predecessor while maintaining backward compatibility with existing devices.
CFexpress 4.0 utilizes the PCI Express Gen4 bus (PCIe 4.0) and the NVM Express 1.4c (NVMe) interface to achieve the highest possible speeds and efficient performance. Like the predecessor, CFexpress 4.0 cards will be available in three form factors and sizes: Type A, Type B, and Type C, each with a different max speed, power draw, and dimensions for target host devices. Smaller variants will also work with adapters to fit into card readers designed for the largest Type C format.
CompactFlash Association says CFexpress 4.0 max throughput can peak at 2GB/s (Type A), 4GB/s (Type B), and 8GB/s (Type C).
| CFexpress 4.0 Type A | CFexpress 4.0 Type B | CFexpress 4.0 Type C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 20 x 28 x 2.8 mm | 29.6 x 38.5 x 3.8 mm | 54 x 74 x 4.8 mm |
| PCIe Bus | PCI Express 4.0 - 1 lane | PCI Express 4.0 - 2 lanes | PCI Express 4.0 - 4 lanes |
| NVMe Stack | NVMe 1.4c | ||
| Max Throughput | 2GB/s | 4GB/s | 8GB/s |
| Max A | 2500 mA | 3000 mA | 3500 mA |
As mentioned in the official press release, CFexpress 2.0-based cards will remain available, giving customers flexibility when choosing the perfect storage for their cameras and other devices supporting CFexpress cards.
With the evolutionary approach in defining the new CFexpress 4.0 specifications, end users can preserve their investments made in CFexpress 2.0 removable media cards while enjoying cutting-edge use cases with the higher performance CFexpress 4.0 cards. This is a win-win for the installed base and the growing CFexpress ecosystem.
You can find more information about CFexpress 4.0 on the official CompactFlash Association website.