Microsoft Corp. has entered into an intellectual property licensing agreement with Panasonic Corp. to provide it with access to Microsoft’s Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) technology, the latest generation of Microsoft’s file system. This will allow Panasonic to place large files onto flash or other storage.

exFAT is a modern file system improving on its predecessor, the FAT system, and greatly expands the size of files that flash memory devices can handle. The exFAT is suited for USB flash drives, introduced by Microsoft for embedded devices in Windows Embedded CE 6.0, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows 7 as well as the server operating system Windows Server 2008. The exFAT file system not only facilitates large files for use of audiovisual media, it enables seamless data portability and an easy interchange between desktop PCs and consumer electronic devices. Microsoft exFAT enables support for large disk drives – up to 64ZB (zelibytes) [2⁷⁰ bytes], or up to 512TB (recommended).

“Microsoft’s exFAT file system technology is designed to enhance multimedia experiences for consumers, which is especially important as televisions and other consumer electronic devices are moving far beyond traditional media content. This agreement with Panasonic is the most recent example of our commitment to licensing cutting-edge intellectual property to drive innovation across the industry,” said David Kaefer, general manager of intellectual property licensing at Microsoft.

Built to handle today’s rich and integrated media experiences, exFAT technology delivers a significant leap forward in terms of the size of files that can be stored on a broad range of consumer electronic devices, and the speed with which they can be accessed. In addition to the license on Microsoft’s exFAT technology, Panasonic has obtained a patent license that covers FAT32 long file name technology in its products.

Tags: Microsoft, Panasonic, exFAT