Intel Demos Prototype of Next-Gen Thunderbolt at 80Gb/s of Bi-Directional Bandwidth

Intel Corp. has demonstrated an early prototype of next-gen Thunderbolt in action, aligned to the USB Implementers Forum’s (USB-IF) release of the USB4 v2 specification.

Next-gen Thunderbolt will deliver 80Gb/s of bi-directional bandwidth and enable up to 120Gb/s for the best display experience, providing up to 3x the capability of today’s technologies to meet the growing needs of content creators and gamers, all while maintaining compatibility with previous versions of Thunderbolt and USB.

“Intel has always been the industry pioneer and leader for wired connectivity solutions, and Thunderbolt is now the mainstream port on mobile PCs and integrated into three generations of Intel mobile CPUs. We’re very excited to lead the industry forward with the next generation of Thunderbolt built on the USB4 v2 spec, advanced to this next gen by Intel and other USB Promoter Group members,” said Jason Ziller, GM, client connectivity division.

Why It Matters?
This prototype demonstration marks a milestone in the journey to delivering next-generation Thunderbolt to the industry. The bandwidth needs of content creators and gamers are increasing significantly for high-resolution displays, low latency visuals, and the backup or transfer of huge video and data files. Next-gen Thunderbolt will deliver up to 3x the capability of Thunderbolt 4 and make creating and gaming more efficient and immersive. In addition to supporting the latest version of USB4, the next gen of Thunderbolt will include improvements across a variety of areas including:

• 2x the total bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4 to 80Gb/s, while providing up to 3x the bandwidth to 120Gb/s for video-intensive usages.
• Support for the released DisplayPort 2.1 for the best display experience.  
• 2x the PCIe data throughput for faster storage and external graphics.  
• Works with existing passive cables up to 1m via a new signaling technology.
• Compatible with previous versions of Thunderbolt, USB and DisplayPort.
• Supported by the company’s enabling and certification programs.

How Thunderbolt Drives Industry?
With the vision to make Thunderbolt available to everyone, the firm in 2019 contributed to the USB Promoter Group its Thunderbolt protocol spec, which served as the basis for USB4. As a leader in this industry group, the company has worked to extend the performance of USB4 to the next level. 

The firm has a long history of leading the industry in I/O innovation. It works closely with PC, accessory and cable partners to deliver an advanced and complete wired connectivity solution through dedicated enabling and testing programs. All Thunderbolt products undergo certification testing, and upon passing can use the Thunderbolt name and logo royalty-free on devices or in marketing. That’s why the Thunderbolt logo provides a simple, recognized indicator of the best wired connectivity solutions for PCs and accessories. 

What’s next?
Look for more detail on next-gen Thunderbolt’s official brand name, features and capabilities in 2023.

Resource:
Intel Thunderbolt Technology