Embodiments include a method for managing power in a computer system including a main processor and an active memory device including powered units, the active memory device in communication with the main processor by a memory link, the powered units including a processing element. The method includes the main processor executing a program on a program thread, encountering a first section of code to be executed by the active memory device, changing, by a first command, a power state of a powered unit on the active memory device based on the main processor encountering the first section of code, the first command including a store command. The method also includes the processing element executing the first section of code at a second time, changing a power state of the main processor from a power use state to a power saving state based on the processing element executing the first section.