The Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO), the industry consortium dedicated to sustaining the quality, integrity and dissemination of Serial ATA (SATA) technology, today announced the completion of SATA DevSleep, a new feature that reduces power consumption of devices. SATA DevSleep enables the development of ultra-portable computing devices based on SATA storage solutions that consume significantly less power than current offerings, resulting in longer battery life and enhanced ease of use.

DevSleep defines the lowest power state for SATA technology, allowing the PHY and other circuitry to be completely powered off, unlike existing partial/slumber states, which require a partially powered PHY. The feature allows devices to be always on and always connected without unnecessarily reducing battery life. For example, with DevSleep an ultra-thin laptop that would have previously needed to be put into standby to conserve battery life can now stay on and be immediately available for use.

"Consumers want thinner, faster mobile computing products that can go a long time without being tethered to an outlet," said Mladen Luksic, SATA-IO president. "SATA DevSleep will enable manufacturers to take advantage of the cost savings and performance benefits of SATA, while addressing the needs of these low power mobile applications and enabling innovative designs for countless future mobile devices."

Power consumption has become an increasingly critical consideration when selecting data storage components, as consumers are more mobile and less inclined to be "plugged in." SATA-IO has developed a number of power management protocols to minimize power consumption and extend battery life in SATA devices. DevSleep expands these options by enabling SATA technology to be implemented in ultra-portable devices without negatively impacting battery life or limiting device response time.

More information on all of the power management features available for SATA technology is available here.