The SATA-IO announced today that it started working on a new specification that will provide power to eSATA devices without the need
for a separate power connection. This Power Over eSATA initiative will maintain compatibility with the existing eSATA connector form
factor and retain its 3Gb/s transfer speed.
Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO), the consortium dedicated to
sustaining the quality, integrity and dissemination of SATA technology, today announced its Power Over eSATA initiative. SATA-IO has
begun work on a new specification that will provide power to external SATA (eSATA) devices without the need for a separate power
connection. Led by the organization’s Cable and Connector group, the specification is targeted for completion in the second half of
2008.
Today, eSATA devices require an external power adapter to supply the necessary voltage for operation. The new SATA-IO
specification will eliminate this requirement by providing power for a single drive directly from the host system using the Power Over
eSATA cable. Key benefits will be to maintain compatibility with the existing eSATA connector form factor and retain high performance at
the current maximum interface transfer rate of 3Gb/s (gigabits per second). External SATA offers the only 3Gb/s bus optimized for storage
performance. Data from IDC shows that eSATA can transfer a two-hour high-definition movie in less than one minute.
Power
Over eSATA solutions, such as portable optical drives, are expected to be available as soon as the second half of 2008. More information
can be found here.
