Next-generation standard closer than we think

Mar 9, 2009 17:07 GMT  ·  By

Seagate and AMD have announced today the world's first public demonstration of the next-generation high-speed data transfer, also known as SATA 6 Gigabit/second. The new connectivity standard is expected to replace today's solution, which is designed to provide users with a speed of "just" 3Gb/s, while first SATA devices are featured with one of 1.5Gb/s. The new interface is expected to boost performance for next-generation storage solutions, while also providing backwards compatibility with current ones.

"The increasing reliance of consumers and businesses worldwide on digital information is giving rise to gaming, digital video and audio, streaming video, graphics and other applications that require even more bandwidth, driving demand for PC interfaces that can carry even more digital content," Joan Motsinger, Seagate vice president of Personal Systems Marketing and Strategy, said.

"The SATA 6Gb/second storage interface will meet this demand for higher-bandwidth PCs. Seagate has a long history of being first to market with new technologies such as Serial ATA, perpendicular recording and self-encrypting drives, and is pleased to be teaming with AMD to stage the world's first public demonstration of SATA 6Gb/second storage."

Other improvements that will be made available with the next-generation connectivity interface include enhanced power efficiency and bettered Native Command Queuing (NCQ), as well as a SATA feature design to increase the overall system performance and boost the data transfer speeds of mainstream PC applications.

The demonstration of the new SATA 6Gb/s interface includes two Seagate SATA hard disk drives, one featuring a 3Gb/s connectivity interface, while the other, a Barracuda prototype, sporting a 6Gb/s interface. The system is powered by a prototype SATA 6Gb/s chipset, which enables the first SATA 3Gb/s to run at more than 2.5Gigabits per second, while the prototype solution runs at over 5.5 Gigabits per second.

"AMD strives to deliver platform technology that our technology partners can use to create high-performance desktop and laptop PCs," Leslie Sobon, vice president of Product Marketing, AMD, stated. "The new SATA 6Gb/second technology not only incorporates the best features of previous SATA generations, but also includes new enhancements. This innovation enables AMD to continue to evolve its technology platforms and to develop low-cost designs that our technology partners can use to improve their own PC and laptop products."