USB4 Announced – Intel Releases Thunderbolt Protocol

USB-IF today announced USB4, the newest and fastest USB standard that is based on Intel’s Thunderbolt 3 protocol. Intel Corporation also announced that they have released the Thunderbolt protocol specification to the USB Promoter Group. Thanks to Intel open licensing its Thunderbolt 3 technology that means others can now use it royalty free. USB4 offers speeds of up to 40Gbps, double the speed of the USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 standard (SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps) when used with the proper USB Type-C 40 Gbps-certified cables.

Releasing the Thunderbolt protocol specification is a significant milestone for making todays simplest and most versatile port available to everyone, said Jason Ziller, General Manager, Client Connectivity Division at Intel. By collaborating with the USB Promoter Group, were opening the doors for innovation across a wide range of devices and increasing compatibility to deliver better experiences to consumers.

The USB-IF press release about the USB4 announcement says it will be a major update to the current USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 specifications. Not only will it double the bandwidth of USB, it will also allow for multiple simultaneous data and display protocols.It is also fully backwards compatible with USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3. Intels upcoming 10nm processor code-named Ice Lake will be the first to integrate Thunderbolt 3. The final USB4 specification is on track to be published around the middle of 2019.