The CompactFlash Association is a non-profit, mutual-benefit corporation that promotes adoption of CompactFlash® as a worldwide, ultra-small, removable storage and I/O standard for capturing and transporting digital data, audio and images and performing I/O functionality such as modems, Ethernet, serial, BlueTooth wireless, laser scanning, etc. The CFA, which makes the CompactFlash and CF(logo) trademarks and CF & CompactFlash Technical Specification available royalty-free to member companies, is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA.
Founding of the CFA
The CompactFlash Association (CFA) was established in October, 1995 as a non-profit, mutual-benefit corporation with the premise that CF technology will result in the introduction of a new class of advanced, small, lightweight, low-power mobile products that will significantly increase the productivity and enhance the lifestyle of millions of people. The concept behind CompactFlash technology is simple: to capture, retain and transport data, video, audio and images. CF provides the capability to easily transfer all types of digital information and software between a large variety of digital systems.
Board Members of the CFA
The CFA board members include Canon, Lexar Media, SanDisk and Socket Communications. The combined markets pursued by these corporations will be highly influenced by the introduction of many new computing, imaging, communications and consumer electronics products utilizing the CF storage and I/O standard.
CF Standard Enables New Designs
Several leading consumer electronics companies, including the CFA's roster of founding members, are designing CF technology into next-generation products being developed for mass markets. The CFA expects CF technology will be widely used in such products as portable and desktop computers, digital cameras, handheld data collection scanners, PCS phones, Pocket PCs, PDAs, handy terminals, personal communicators, audio recorders, MP3 players, monitoring devices and set-top boxes. CF technology offers all of these applications new and expanded data storage and I/O functionality while enabling smaller and lighter designs.
CF – The De Facto Storage Standard
The CFA will focus on educating end-users to help them understand that CF technology is essentially a PC-Card ATA specification adapted to a smaller form factor plus a TrueIDE specification compatible with ATA/ATAPI-4. The CFA's goals complement the work already accomplished by the PCMCIA/JEIDA committee, its PC Card ATA sub-committee and the IEEE T-13 (ATA/ATAPI) committee.
CFA Goals and Objectives
The goals of the CFA are to promote and encourage the worldwide adoption of CompactFlash, CF disk drive and CF I/O technology as an open industry standard. The association's primary objectives are to drive alternate-source availability; to drive acceptance of the CF specification as an industry standard across platforms and markets internationally; to ensure compatibility for users of CF products, and to evolve the approved CF standard over time while ensuring backward compatibility.
CFA Licenses CF Standard
The CFA provides the CompactFlash Specification and CFastTM Specification as a free downloads to CFA members ($100 each for non-members) from the CFA web site. The CompactFlash and CF(logo) trademarks are licensed at no charge and no royalty to CFA members. This has encouraged industry to quickly adopt the CF form factor into as many new devices as possible.
This page was last updated January 25, 2009