The SD card is a proprietary, non-risky, flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA). They are available in three physical kinds: the total-measurement SD, the smaller miniSD (now obsolete), and the smallest, microSD. Owing to their compact form factor, SD cards have been widely adopted in a wide range of portable client electronics, including digital cameras, camcorders, video recreation consoles, cellphones, action cameras, and Memory Wave Program digicam drones. The format was launched in August 1999 as Secure Digital by SanDisk, Panasonic (then often known as Matsushita), and Kioxia (then part of Toshiba). It was designed as a successor to the MultiMediaCard (MMC) format, introducing several enhancements including a digital rights administration (DRM) characteristic, a more durable physical casing, and a mechanical write-protect change. These improvements, mixed with robust business assist, contributed to its widespread adoption. To manage licensing and intellectual property rights, the founding firms established SD-3C, LLC. In January 2000, additionally they formed the SD Association, a non-revenue organization responsible for developing the SD specifications and selling the format.

As of 2023, the SDA contains roughly 1,000 member firms. The association uses trademarked logos owned by SD-3C to enforce compliance with official standards and to point product compatibility. In 1994, SanDisk introduced the CompactFlash (CF) format, one among the first successful flash memory card sorts. CF outpaced several competing early codecs, together with the Miniature Card and SmartMedia. Nonetheless, the late 1990s saw a proliferation of proprietary formats corresponding to Sony’s Memory Stick and the xD-Picture Card from Olympus and Fujifilm, leading to a fragmented memory card market. To address these challenges, SanDisk partnered with Siemens and Nokia in 1996 to develop a new postage stamp-sized Memory Wave Program card known as the MultiMediaCard (MMC). Whereas technically innovative, MMC adoption was slow, and even Nokia was slow to integrate support for it into its mobile units. In 1999, SanDisk was approached by Panasonic (then generally known as Matsushita) and Kioxia (then a part of Toshiba) to develop a new format as a second-generation successor to MMC.

The aim was to create a portable, excessive-performance memory card with built-in security features and broader interoperability. Involved about dropping market share to Sony’s proprietary Memory Stick, Toshiba and Panasonic noticed the collaboration as a possibility to determine an open, industry-backed commonplace. Panasonic and Toshiba, who had beforehand collaborated on the Super Density Disc (a DVD precursor), reused its stylized “SD” logo for the Secure Digital (SD) card format. Anticipating the expansion of MP3 gamers, they also advocated for digital rights management (DRM) assist searching for to reassure content material publishers cautious of piracy. The DRM system adopted-Content material Safety for Recordable Media (CPRM)-had been developed earlier in partnership with IBM and Intel, and Intel and complied with the Secure Digital Music Initiative customary. Although typically cited as a factor in the format’s broad business help, CPRM was hardly ever carried out in follow. SD playing cards additionally featured a mechanical write-protect change, and early SD slots maintained backward compatibility with MMC cards. In line with SanDisk, shopper adoption was accelerated by Toshiba and Panasonic’s commitment to launching suitable units in parallel with the cards.

To help standardization and interoperability, SanDisk, Toshiba, and Panasonic introduced the creation of the SD Association (SDA) on the January 2000 Client Electronics Show (CES). Headquartered in San Ramon, California, the SDA initially included 30 member corporations and has since grown to encompass around 800 organizations worldwide. At the March 2003 CeBIT commerce show, SanDisk introduced and demonstrated the miniSD card format. The SD Affiliation (SDA) adopted miniSD later that yr as a small-form-issue extension to the SD card customary, meant primarily for use in mobile phones. However, the format was largely phased out by 2008 following the introduction of the even smaller microSD card. TransFlash name remains in widespread use as a generic term for microSD playing cards. A passive adapter permits microSD cards to be utilized in normal SD card slots, sustaining backward compatibility across units. The storage capability of SD cards elevated steadily all through the 2010s, pushed by advances in NAND flash manufacturing and interface speeds. In January 2009, the SDA introduced the Secure Digital prolonged Capacity (SDXC) format, supporting up to 2 TB of storage and switch speeds as much as 300 MB/s.

SDXC playing cards are formatted with the exFAT file system by default. The primary SDXC playing cards appeared in 2010, with early models offering capacities of 32 to sixty four GB and read/write speeds of a number of hundred megabits per second. Client adoption accelerated as digital cameras, smartphones, and card readers gained SDXC compatibility. By 2011, manufacturers supplied SDXC cards in 64 and 128 GB capacities, with some models supporting UHS Pace Class 10 and quicker. The Safe Digital Extremely Capacity (SDUC) specification, announced in 2018, expanded most capacity to 128 TB and increased theoretical switch speeds to 985 MB/s. There are 4 defined SD capacity standards: Customary Capacity (SDSC), Excessive Capability (SDHC), Prolonged Capacity (SDXC), and Extremely Capacity (SDUC). In addition to specifying maximum storage limits, these requirements also outline preferred file techniques for formatting playing cards. The unique Secure Digital (SD) card was introduced in 1999 as a successor to the MMC format. The name SD Standard Capacity (SDSC) was applied later to distinguish it from newer variants.