AHCI

Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer Hardware

AHCI stands for Advanced Host Controller Interface, a computer hardware abbreviation.

Intel standard defining how SATA controllers talk to the operating system, enabling features such as hot-plugging and Native Command Queuing, which lets a drive reorder up to 32 requests for efficiency.

Example: Set the SATA mode to AHCI before installing Windows on the new SSD.

Usage notes

Intel published AHCI in 2004, replacing legacy IDE emulation. It was designed around hard drives and its single command queue limits fast flash storage, which is why NVMe was created. Firmware typically offers AHCI, RAID or Intel RST modes; changing modes after installing Windows can stop it from booting unless drivers are prepared first.

Related abbreviations

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• AGP – Accelerated Graphics Port
• AIO – All-in-one computer
• ALU – Arithmetic logic unit
• APU – Accelerated processing unit
• ARM – Advanced RISC Machines
• ATX – Advanced Technology eXtended
• BMC – Baseboard management controller
• CD-R – Compact Disc Recordable
• CD-ROM – Compact Disc Read-Only Memory
• CD-RW – Compact Disc ReWritable
• CF – CompactFlash

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Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.