Patent ID: 8904217

Claim:
A system for managing power in a computing device, comprising: a plurality of external interface controllers, each external interface controller operable to switch between a low power mode and a high power mode, and each external interface controller including a power level indicator configured to produce a signal representative of a negotiated power level of the respective external interface controller; a policy controller operably connected to the plurality of external interface controllers, wherein, on receiving a signal representative of a negotiated power level from a first external interface controller of the plurality of interface controllers, the policy controller is configured to: determine an aggregated power consumption based on a power measurement from each of the plurality of external interface controllers; and if the aggregated power consumption is greater than a policy power limit, set the first external interface controller at the negotiated power level of the first external interface controller, and set a second external interface controller at an adjusted power level below a negotiated power level of the second external interface controller and a non-zero power level of the second external interface controller, wherein the first external interface controller and the second external interface controller are set based on the policy power limit and the aggregated power consumption.