Mobile devices may already be able to go into idle states and, thus, consume less energy, but the Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO) didn't think it was enough.

Thus it developed the SATA DevSleep, a feature that reduces the power consumption of SATA storage drives items.

Basically, DevSleep allows the PHY and other circuitry to completely power off.

The announcement also states that it is no longer necessary for devices like laptops to go into full standby or hibernation.

The goal is to eliminate the need to wait for the PC to resume operation, in addition to prolonging battery life.

“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.”