The CompactFlash Association has announced that the new XQD flash-memory card will be the official replacement for the venerable CompactFlash format. Despite the onslaught of card formats with a smaller footprint such as the Secure Digital, miniSD and microSD cards, the CF standard has nevertheless retained a niche in high-end SLR cameras due to its superior capacity and transfer speeds.

For its impressive theoretical maximum speeds of 167 MBps however, newer DSLRs capable of capturing ever higher resolution photos or video at 1080p necessitate an evolution to something even faster. For its part, the new XQD card measures just 38.5 x 29.8 x 3.8 mm, which works out to about three-quarters the size of a CF card and about the same thickness, according to Ars Technica.

More importantly, the XQD will be based on PCI Express, which delivers up to 2.5Gbps per lane. For now, the CFA is working towards a real world speed of 125 MBps for a start.

No dates have been given for the arrival of the first XQD cards or devices using it, though licensing will begin in early 2012. Given that the XQD was developed by camera maker Nikon with an endorsement from Canon, there is little doubt that it will be the standard of choice for high-end cameras in the years ahead.

In a statement, CFA's board chairman, Shigeto Kanda, said "the XQD format will enable further evolution of hardware and imaging applications, and widen the memory card options available to CompactFlash users such as professional photographers."

For more:
- check out this article at Ars Technica
- check out this article at CNET News

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