Abstract: Power consumption by a memory device is optimized by maintaining data input buffers in an off state until a command sequence containing a write command is received by the memory. A command sequence is provided to the memory device where the command sequence was constructed by generating a command sequence of n cycles and providing valid data in each cycle in which a write command is generated after a mth cycle of the command sequence, where m is less than n. The data input buffers are returned to an off state upon completion of a program or erase operation defined in the received command sequence.