Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO), the consortium that develops Serial ATA interface technology, has announced it is developing a specification for a mini-SATA (mSATA) interface connector. This new low-profile connector will enable more effective SATA integration in small form factor applications.

“As consumers become more reliant on mobile devices, it makes sense to bring the efficiency and speed of SATA technology to this burgeoning highly portable product segment. Solid-state drives provide a rugged, lightweight and lower power storage solution for these devices, and mSATA is one of the few interfaces that can provide a critical compact connection for these small-form factor SSDs,” said Knut Grimsrud, SATA-IO president and Intel fellow and director of storage architecture.

mSATA leverages performance of SATA interface to provide a high-performance, cost-effective storage solution for smaller devices like notebooks and netbooks. mSATA will support 1.5 Gb/s and 3.0 Gb/s transfer rates. The specification maps SATA signals onto an existing small form factor connector, enabling more compact integration in a wide variety of applications for both hard disk (HDD) and solid state drives (SSDs). The mSATA connector allows companies to increase the storage offerings of their products without compromising valuable space.

Development of the mSATA specification is being driven by members of the SATA-IO cable and connector working group, including Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, SanDisk, STEC and Toshiba.

Tags: Serial ATA, SSD