SATA-IO will soon release the third generation Serial ATA specification that doubles the maximum transfer speed from three to six gigabits per second (Gb/s), enabling end-users to move large amounts of data at even faster rates.

Data transfer rates become crucial as business consumers amass ever-increasing amounts of high-res photos, videos, music, and other multimedia files. In addition to doubling data transfer speeds, SATA 6Gb/s also maintains backward compatibility with earlier SATA implementations. By keeping the existing SATA connector form factor, SATA 6Gb/s preserves the same cost-conscious design while minimizing changes to existing implementations and infrastructures.

SATA 6Gb/s enhances the appeal of the high-performance, low-cost interface, solidifying its dominance as a long-term storage interface. Since its introduction in 2001, SATA has become the primary storage interface with more than 650 million SATA hard drives shipped to date. According to John Rydning of IDC, more than three-quarters of new desktop and mobile systems shipped in 2007 were equipped with SATA hard drives. SATA technology has been adopted by other devices, including optical disk drives, solid state drives, and is moving into multi-user storage applications.