[3] Rather, ONFI seeks to standardize the low-level interface to raw NAND flash chips, which are the most widely used form of non-volatile memory integrated circuits (chips); in 2006, nearly one trillion MiB of flash memory was incorporated into consumer electronics, and production was expected to double by 2007.

However, "similar" operation is not optimal:[5] subtle differences in timing and command set mean that products must be thoroughly debugged and tested when a new model of flash chip is used in them.

[4][5] This increases the complexity and time-to-market of flash-based devices, and means they are likely to be incompatible with future models of NAND flash, unless and until their firmware is updated.

Product designers wanted newer NAND flash chips, for example, to be as easily interchangeable as hard disks from different manufacturers.

For example, the 7400 series of TTL digital integrated circuits were originally produced by Texas Instruments, but had become a de facto standard family by the late 1970s.

The ONFI consortium included manufacturers of NAND flash memory such as Hynix, Intel, Micron Technology, Phison, Western Digital, Sony and Spansion.

[13][14] Version 3.1, published in october of 2012, includes errata to the original ONFI 3.0 specification, adds LUN SET/GET Features commands, and implements additional data setup and hold values for NV-DDR2 interface.

[17]  For better signaling performance, ONFI 4.1 adds Duty Cycle Correction (DCC), Read and Write Training for speeds greater than 800MT/s, support for lower pin cap devices with 37.5 Ohms default output resistance, and devices which require data burst exit and restart for long data input and output pauses.

It specifies a standardized connection for NAND modules (similar to DRAM DIMMs) for use in applications like caching and solid-state drives (SSDs) in PC platforms.