What’s New: Intel is well on its way to making the innovation delivered with Thunderbolt™ 3 available to everyone. Today, Intel announced that it contributed the Intel Thunderbolt protocol specification to the USB Promoter Group, enabling other chip makers to build Thunderbolt compatible silicon, royalty-free. In addition, the USB Promoter Group announced the pending release of the USB4 specification, based on the Thunderbolt protocol. The convergence of the underlying Thunderbolt and USB protocols will increase compatibility among USB Type-C connector-based products, simplifying how people connect their devices.

“Releasing the Thunderbolt protocol specification is a significant milestone for making today’s simplest and most versatile port available to everyone. This, in combination with the integration of Thunderbolt 3 into upcoming Intel processors is a win-win for the industry and consumers.”

–Jason Ziller, general manager, Client Connectivity Division at Intel

Why It Matters: Previously, Intel shared plans to integrate Thunderbolt 3 into future Intel CPUs and to release the Thunderbolt protocol specification to the industry. As detailed at CES 2019, Intel’s upcoming 10nm processor code-named “Ice Lake” will be the first to integrate Thunderbolt 3. Processor integration, combined with today’s announcement, is expected to drive large-scale, mainstream adoption of Thunderbolt.







Industry adoption of Thunderbolt 3 is accelerating. Thunderbolt 3 is fully supported in Windows 10*, macOS* and Linux*; volumes of PCs with these ports continue to double every year into the tens of millions; and all the latest Macs* have Thunderbolt 3 ports. More than 400 PC designs have been enabled with Thunderbolt 3. Peripheral device volumes also continue to double annually with more than 450 certified devices from a wide number of product categories, including docks, displays, storage and external graphics.

“Realizing HP’s vision for the office of the future requires seamless connectivity, powerful performance and total simplicity to enable people to unleash their creativity wherever their workday takes them,” said Bill Gorden, vice president, Commercial Notebook Management at HP. “Thunderbolt 3 is a powerful addition to our new notebooks and docks that delivers the flexibility sought by IT departments and the experiences people love.”

“Samsung Electronics is responding to increasing consumer demand for Thunderbolt 3 by offering sleek and powerful notebooks and other peripheral devices,” said Mincheol Lee, vice president, PC Strategic Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “We look forward to our ongoing collaboration with Intel to bring more innovative Thunderbolt 3 products to market.”

How Thunderbolt Leads with Best-in-Class Solutions: Thunderbolt delivers world-class performance, ease-of-use and quality by unifying multiple industry specifications into an industry leading set of product capabilities. Thunderbolt is supported by an end-to-end solution enabling program for computer, peripheral device and cable makers to help ensure a consistent experience for all Thunderbolt connected products. Intel works with the industry to define product capabilities, validation testing and rigorous certification requirements, including:

Working closely with Microsoft* to deliver built-in Windows 10 support for Thunderbolt 3, optimized for plug and play, platform power management, system charging and system wake features

Intel CPU platform and peripheral reference design validation

Extensive end-to-end testing to help ensure interoperability across a wide range of product types and manufacturers

Mandatory Thunderbolt certification for all computers, peripheral devices and cables

Cable enabling and cable quality audits for Thunderbolt cable manufacturers

Intel and other industry leaders continue to innovate on Thunderbolt technology to deliver a leading connectivity solution, from silicon and cables to PCs and peripheral devices.

More Context: Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt certified products</s>Fulfilling its 2017 promise to make Thunderbolt 3 royalty-free, Intel has given the specification for its high-speed interconnect to the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the industry group that develops the USB specification. The USB-IF has taken the spec and will use it to form the basis of USB4, the next iteration of USB following USB 3.2.

Thunderbolt 3 not only doubles the bandwidth of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, going from 20Gb/s to 40Gb/s, it also enables the use of multiple data and display protocols simultaneously. We would expect the USB4 specification to be essentially a superset of the Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 specifications, thus incorporating both the traditional USB family of protocols (up to and including the USB 3.2 Gen 2×2) and the Thunderbolt 3 protocol in a single document. Down the line, this should translate into USB4 controllers that support the whole range of speeds.

Intel has previously announced that its Ice Lake platform, due to ship later this year, will integrate both Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (aka USB 3.2 Gen 2) controllers. Currently, offering Thunderbolt 3 requires the use of an additional chip, one of Intel's Alpine Ridge or Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 controllers. Integration into the platform means that system-builders no longer need to choose whether or not to include the extra chip; the capability will be built in, and as such, we'd expect to see it become nearly universal.

We should also take the opportunity to marvel once again at USB-IF's prowess for naming things. While previous versions included a space between "USB" and the version number—giving us "USB 3.2," "USB 2.0," and so on—with USB4 it has for some unfathomable reason decided to discard the space. This is the same organization that numbered successive USB 3 generations "Gen 1," "Gen 2," and "Gen 2×2," so nothing it does on the naming front should really surprise us, but the inconsistency is nonetheless quite remarkable.</s>The USB Promoter Group today announced the pending release of the USB4 specification, a major update to deliver the next generation USB architecture that compliments and builds on the existing USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures. The USB4 architecture is based on the Thunderbolt protocol specification recently contributed by Intel Corporation. It doubles the bandwidth of USB and enables multiple simultaneous data and display protocols.

The new USB4 architecture defines a method to share a single high-speed link with multiple end device types dynamically that best serves the transfer of data by type and application. As the USB Type-C connector has evolved into the role as the external display port of many host products, the USB4 specification provides the host the ability to optimally scale allocations for display data flow. Even as the USB4 specification introduces a new underlying protocol, compatibility with existing USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3 hosts and devices is supported; the resulting connection scales to the best mutual capability of the devices being connected.

"The primary goal of USB is to deliver the best user experience combining data, display and power delivery over a user-friendly and robust cable and connector solution," said Brad Saunders, USB Promoter Group Chairman. "The USB4 solution specifically tailors bus operation to further enhance this experience by optimizing the blend of data and display over a single connection and enabling the further doubling of performance."

With over 50 companies actively participating in the final stages of review of the draft specification, the USB4 specification is on track to be published around the middle of 2019. Coincident with the release of the USB4 specification, the release of an updated USB Type-C Specification will be made to comprehend USB4 bus discovery, configuration and performance requirements.

USB Developer Days 2019, in the second half of this year, will include detailed technical training covering the USB4 specification and the latest for USB Type-C, USB Power Delivery, and other exciting topics.

This update is part of the USB performance roadmap and is specifically targeted to developers at this time. Branding and marketing guidelines will be established after the final specification is published.

"Releasing the Thunderbolt protocol specification is a significant milestone for making today's 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, we're opening the doors for innovation across a wide range of devices and increasing compatibility to deliver better experiences to consumers."

"USB4's high throughput and advanced features enable new scenarios in consumer, enterprise, and intelligent edge markets, while maintaining interoperability with existing USB and Thunderbolt 3 devices," said Roanne Sones, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft OS Platforms. "We are excited to work with our partners in the ecosystem to bring USB4 to market and showcase its benefits."

The USB Promoter Group, comprised of Apple Inc., Hewlett-Packard Inc., Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Renesas Electronics Corporation, ST Microelectronics, and Texas Instruments, continues to develop the USB family of specifications to meet the market needs for increased functionality and performance of USB solutions. Additionally, the USB Promoter Group develops specification addendums (USB Power Delivery, USB Type-C, and others) to extend or adapt its specifications to support more platform types or use cases where adopting USB technology will be beneficial in delivering a more ubiquitous, richer user experience.

The non-profit USB Implementers Forum, Inc. was formed to provide a support organization and forum for the advancement and adoption of USB technology as defined in the USB specifications. The USB-IF facilitates the development of high-quality compatible USB devices through its logo and compliance program, and promotes the benefits of USB and the quality of products that have passed compliance testing. Further information, including postings of the most recent product and technology announcements, is available by visiting the USB-IF website at www.usb.org.</s>Your cable nightmare might soon be over. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has unveiled the specifications of USB 4.0, as Engadget reports. And USB 4.0 looks a lot like Thunderbolt 3.

While specifications won’t be finalized until later this year, USB 4 should support speeds of 40 Gbps. The USB-IF is using Thunderbolt 3 as the foundation for USB 4.

Intel originally developed the Thunderbolt interface with Apple back in 2011. It was supposed to be a faster and more versatile interface that supports multiple protocols. For instance, you can use Thunderbolt cables and devices to connect displays and hard drives. You can daisy-chain your peripherals, which can be useful for external graphics cards, for instance.

With Thunderbolt 3, Intel added USB 3.1 Gen 2 support, which means that you can plug a USB device to a Thunderbolt port. And Intel adopted the USB-C port. In other words, Thunderbolt ports became USB ports with Thunderbolt capabilities on top. It means that any USB device can be used with a Thunderbolt port. If you’re using a MacBook Pro, you’ve probably taken advantage of that feature.

But USB devices plugged into Thunderbolt ports don’t magically become Thunderbolt devices. If you plug an external USB 3.0 hard drive in a Thunderbolt port, you’re limited to USB 3.0 speeds.

Even though Thunderbolt is technically superior, it hasn’t been as popular as USB devices. Device manufacturers had to pay royalty fees to Intel (Correction: Thunderbolt 3 has always been royalty-free, but specifications weren’t public). Making a Thunderbolt device is also more expensive in general.

A couple of years ago, Intel announced that it would make Thunderbolt available to everyone without any royalty fee. So the USB-IF is taking advantage of that by integrating Thunderbolt 3 specifications into USB 4.

USB 4.0 will support charging speeds of 100W of power, transfer speeds of 40 Gbps and enough video bandwidth for two 4K displays or one 5K display. USB 4 should also be backward-compatible with USB 3.x, 2.x and 1.x devices.

If you have a USB 3.x cable with Type-C connectors, you may have to upgrade to USB 4 cables. But Thunderbolt 3 should work fine, as they’re essentially the same thing as USB 4 cables. I hope there will be a way to distinguish USB 3.x ports from USB 4 ports though.

Intel won’t drop the Thunderbolt name altogether. Thunderbolt devices are certified by Intel, while you don’t need any certification to release a USB device.

USB 4 sounds like a great way to start from a clean slate. One port and one cable type to rule them all. But let’s hope manufacturers follow the official specifications and don’t try to cut corners.</s>USB 4 is inching closer to the commercial launch. The USB Promoter Group on Tuesday announced key specifications for USB 4, the next version of the connector for PCs and smartphones.

The latest version of USB is said to be much faster than the current USB 3.2 standards. The forum said the new version uses the same two-lane operation as the USB Type-C and delivers up to 40Gbps data transfer rate. It will also be backward compatible with USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3 connectors.

USB 4.0 is based on Intel’s Thunderbolt protocol. It’s worth pointing out that a range of PC makers including Windows, macOS, and Linux have started to integrate ports supporting Intel’s new data protocol. Intel claims there are over 400 PC designs that support Thunderbolt 3.

“The primary goal of USB is to deliver the best user experience combining data, display and power delivery over a user-friendly and robust cable and connector solution,” said Brad Saunders, USB Promoter Group Chairman.

“The USB4 solution specifically tailors bus operation to further enhance this experience by optimising the blend of data and display over a single connection and enabling the further doubling of performance,” he added.

The forum says more than 50 companies are participating in the final stages of review of the draft specification. Full specifications of USB 4.0 will be published later this year.

ALSO READ: Apple iPhone 2019 to support USB Type-C like other Android phones: Report</s>In recent years, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has developed this bizarre habit of releasing specification updates that are often tremendous steps forward but are obscured by confusing, misleading, or downright terrible naming. With the announcement of the USB4 (no space!) specification, the group has reached the apex of powerful features/confusing nomenclature.

First, let us bask in the big news of the day: The USB-IF announced USB4, with no space between the "B" and the "4," cutting against all other USB naming schemes. Partially, that's no doubt because it's actually a new architecture, built on Intel's Thunderbolt protocol. Even so, it's compatible with Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.2, and USB 2.0. When an inferior-spec device is connected, a USB4 port will negotiate the "best mutual capability" of the two connected devices.

Thunderbolt 3 has been one of the (optional) crown jewels of USB Type-C, providing a blistering 40 Gbps theoretical bandwidth compared to USB 3.1 Gen 2's 10 Gbps. Now, the speed of Thunderbolt 3 becomes part of USB because Intel has allowed it to happen. Previously, companies implementing TB3 had to pay royalties to Intel because it was a proprietary technology. Now it's in the hands of the USB Promoters Group, thereby "enabling other chip makers to build Thunderbolt compatible silicon, royalty-free," according to an Intel announcement. Devices will still need a special controller on either end of the connection to take advantage of those delicious speeds, though. Not for nothing, upcoming 10-nm Intel chips will have native TB3 support.

USB 3.2 has been kicking around since 2017, but recent stirrings at MWC 2019 indicate that we should be seeing the technology actually land on shipping devices soon. The presence of USB 3.2 has also further muddied the naming waters of the USB ecosystem. Like past USB 3.x updates, this one subsumes all of the changes and errata of the previous iterations, but it's big feature is a doubling of bandwidth.

USB 3.1 Gen2 can hit 10 Gbps, but it does so with a bus that has one Tx and one Rx; USB 3.2 uses a dual-bus architecture to double that to 20 Gbps. From the USB 3.2 specification document: "One bus is a USB 2.0 bus (see Universal Serial Bus Specification, Revision 2.0) and the other is an Enhanced SuperSpeed bus (see Section 3.1). USB 3.2 specifically adds dual-lane support."

Because any new USB 3.x subsumes the earlier USB 3.x specifications, the USB-IF prefers to categorize not by number (eg, USB 3.2, USB 3.1, and so on) but by speed. Looked at one way, that makes sense; USB 3.2 Gen 1 is 5 Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen 2 is 10 Gbps, and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 is 20 Gbps. The "2x2" indicator makes it clear (ish) that we're talking about the two-way architecture, but you could make the argument that just calling it "Gen 3" would be simpler. Alas.

Let us not forget that titles like USB 3.2 and USB4 don't necessarily tell you what physical ports (eg, USB Type-A or USB Type-C connectors) are in play, nor other capabilities like Power Delivery. So, consumers need to understand that although technically "USB 3.2" runs over USB Type-A or USB Type-C, you'll only get the full performance of USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 over a USB Type-C cable.

Essentially, then, the emergence of USB 3.2 and USB4 mark a huge push away from USB Type-A ports towards USB Type-C ports. The future is a two-way USB street; USB 3.2 gives us 20 Gbps and USB4 gives us 40 Gbps over USB Type-C. USB Type-A is stuck at 10 Gbps, no matter what name you slap on it.

That has ramifications for the way companies built their products. Presently, manufacturers have often been loading up their devices with both USB Type-A and USB Type-C ports to accommodate both legacy devices and more powerful ones. It's likely that will continue for years to come, but perhaps with an increasing percentage of USB Type-C to USB Type-A. But it seems the days of USB Type-A ports are numbered.</s>Something to look forward to: It was only last week when the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) revealed details of the new USB 3.2 format and name changes for USB 3.0/3.1. Now, the organization has announced USB 4, which increases the maximum 20Gbps offered by USB 3.2 to 40Gbps.

That 40Gbps speed has been available to users of Thunderbolt 3 for a few years now. Back in 2017, Intel said it would be making the protocol royalty free for chip makers and device manufacturers. That’s finally happening, with the technology being integrated into USB 4.

As with the current Thunderbolt 3 specification, USB 4 can daisy-chain external graphics card enclosure, two 4K monitors, and other Thunderbolt 3 accessories using a single cable connected to a PC. USB 4 will be compatible with USB 2.0 and 3.2, too.

“The primary goal of USB is to deliver the best user experience combining data, display and power delivery over a user-friendly and robust cable and connector solution,” said Brad Saunders, USB Promoter Group Chairman. “The USB4 solution specifically tailors bus operation to further enhance this experience by optimizing the blend of data and display over a single connection and enabling the further doubling of performance.”

Last week, the USB-IF revealed USB 3.2-capable controllers that allow 20Gbps speeds (10Gbps per lane) would be available later this year. The first USB 3.2 chips are likely to arrive on high-end motherboards this summer, though the peripherals that take advantage of this standard will take longer to get here.

Intel has already said it plans to include Thunderbolt 3 support directly in its upcoming 10nm Ice Lake processors, meaning they could be the first chips to support USB 4.

The full USB 4 specification will be published in the second half of this year, but we likely won’t see any devices for another year and a half.</s>Intel has announced they are contributing the Thunderbolt 3 specification to the USB Promoter Group and making it royalty-free for other hardware vendors to implement support for it. Plus it was also announced the USB4 specifcation is based on the Thunderbolt protocol.Intel kicked off an interesting week by announcing that the Thunderbolt protocol specification has been passed on to the USB Promoter Group for helping other chip makers implement support for this high-speed interface. The USB Promoter Group meanwhile says the upcoming USB 4.0 specification will be based on this Thunderbolt protocol.More details on today's announcements via the Intel Newsroom</s>If your new laptop or desktop PC features a Thunderbolt 3 port, congratulations! This do-it-all connector can link virtually any peripheral—even ones that are daisy-chained together—at astonishing speeds of up to 40Gbps, all while delivering enough power to charge batteries, too.

But Thunderbolt 3 is a proprietary spec that belongs to Intel, which until recently limited PC makers' ability to include it in their products without paying royalties. So your new laptop or desktop PC might not feature a Thunderbolt 3 port after all, unless it's a premium model. All Mac laptops have them, and Intel says about 400 PC models have them, but that still leaves many PCs out, especially cheaper ones.

The good news is that Intel has long promised that it will eventually make Thunderbolt 3 royalty-free, and on Monday we finally got a glimpse of how that will happen: Thunderbolt 3 is merging with USB.

Specifically, it will be baked into a brand new version of USB, called USB4. It's a welcome development, though it adds yet another spec name to an already-crowded field of USB specs that laptop and desktop shoppers must consider.

USB4, scheduled for release this year, will include the best parts of both Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C. That means 40Gbps data transfers for external storage drives, eight times the speed of the USB 3.0 interface. It also means the ability to output display signals for external monitors, as well as deliver power to charge small devices (phones and tablets) and large ones (laptops).

The new USB4 port will also be more capable than current Thunderbolt 3/USB-C combo ports, according to the USB Promoters Group, an industry association made up of Apple, HP, Intel, Microsoft, and other companies. Improvements could enable a "doubling of performance," the group said in a statement, while maintaining backwards-compatibility with USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt 3.

If USB4 is taking the best technologies from today's ports and putting them into a single connector that could be included on even the cheapest PCs thanks to the abolition of royalty payments, then all you need to look for in your next PC purchase is a USB4 port, right?

I hope that will be the case, but it's not likely, because the separate Thunderbolt 3 and other USB standards aren't going away. In fact, Intel plans big things for Thunderbolt 3, such as integrating it into the chipset for its next-generation "Ice Lake" CPUs. So you'll likely still see advertisements for Thunderbolt 3 ports for years to come.

The same thing applies for other types of USB ports. Just last week, the USB Implementers Forum (a separate industry association from the USB Promoters Group) announced that it's overhauling the USB naming conventions. That means the older USB 3.0 standard, which offers 5Gbps speeds, will now be called USB 3.2 Gen 1. Meanwhile, USB 3.1, which offers 10Gbps speeds, will be rebranded USB 3.2 Gen 2. The 20Gbps USB 3.2, on the other hand, will be called USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

All of these port specifications will be available to manufacturers in addition to the new USB4 port. Which means that next year, in a kitchen sink mashup, shoppers could potentially be looking at a cutting-edge PC with Thunderbolt 3 support baked into the CPU, in addition to USB4 and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports.

There's also the prospect of certain PC and peripheral makers going rogue and using their own naming conventions and even color-coding different ports in different ways. For instance, today most (but not all) Thunderbolt 3 ports are labeled with a Thunderbolt logo, and most USB 3.0 ports are blue, though some (on Razer laptops, for instance) are green.

Ultimately, relinquishing control over Thunderbolt 3 is indeed a "significant milestone for making today's simplest and most versatile port available to everyone," as Intel General Manager for Client Connectivity Jason Ziller said in a statement. But while the port itself may be simple, it probably won't make it any easier for shoppers to decide which connections their next PC should have.</s>Hot on the heels of USB 3.2 receiving a confusing Gen 2x2 suffix, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has today announced USB 4, the next version of the ubiquitous connector. Although the draft specification won’t become official until it’s published later this year, the standard is expected to increase its maximum speed to 40 Gbps over the 20 Gbps offered by its current version, USB 3.2.

If that speed sounds familiar, then that’s because it’s already offered by the Thunderbolt 3 specification, which first started shipping on devices way back in 2015. However, in order to encourage adoption in 2017 Intel announced that it was going to make the standard available to other chipmakers, allowing anyone to manufacture the technology, royalty free. With USB 4, Intel is finally making good on this promise.

40 Gbps of speed, enough to power two 4K displays

If you’re familiar with Thunderbolt 3 then you’ll already know a lot of the specs of USB 4. It will still be able to deliver up to 100W of power, and has enough data throughput for the use of external graphics cards, and to power two 4K displays, or a single 5K display. You’ll need to use cables that are capable of 40 Gbps speeds to enjoy the standard’s full benefits, but any existing Thunderbolt 3 cables (and, for that matter, accessories) you have should work with the new port.

All this means that means that USB 4 is essentially just catching up with a three year old technology, but by becoming an open standard it’s likely to become both more widely available and cheaper. That’s true of the computers themselves, but it’s also true of external devices such as monitors, docks, and eGPU enclosures.

Outside of its specs, the USB-IF is also hoping to use the USB 4 standard as a means of simplifying the USB ecosystem. Rather than each USB device picking and choosing which aspects of the standard it supports, the group wants to produce a list of features each kind of USB 4 device will have to offer, which could standardize features such as display out and audio out (although the exact features are yet to be determined).

Other confusing aspects of the standard could also stick around

This simplification sounds like a sensible approach, but the problem is that USB is an open standard, and so the implementation of any of these recommendations will be voluntary. Companies will be able to have their devices certified by the USB-IF, but this is entirely optional. When I asked a spokesperson from the organization if they’d ever consider imposing mandatory requirements on their manufacturing partners, they suggested it would be almost impossible to police because of the amount of companies using USB.

Other confusing aspects of the standard could also stick around. While previous versions of USB have used different color ports to indicate which version of the standard they support, that’s not possible with the USB-C ports that USB 4 will exclusively use (sorry USB Type-A, your days are numbered). There’s no requirement in the standard for manufacturers to add any labels to their ports, or to their cables.

Unfortunately the USB-IF was unable to confirm whether the standard’s recently bizarre naming conventions (which last week reached a fever pitch with the announcement of the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 spec) will continue with USB 4. When I queried them about the recent confusion they said that full branding guidelines will be released after the publication of the final standard.

Although USB 4 will integrate Thunderbolt 3’s features, Intel says that the two standards will coexist. While USB 4 is open, Thunderbolt 3 is not, and Intel requires manufacturers to be certified to use it. It also offers these manufacturers more support with reference designs and technical support. USB 4 might have the same specs, but Intel provides other Thunderbolt 3 services that go beyond the hardware itself.

The publication of the full USB 4 specification is currently due to arrive in the second half of this year, after which point the USB-IF said that it expects it to be another year and a half before manufacturers start producing devices. After all these years, it looks like the particular annoyances of the USB standard aren’t about to disappear overnight, but at least soon we’ll be able to stop worrying about getting USB confused with Thunderbolt 3.
Intel makes Thunderbolt 3 open and royalty-free and gives the specification to USB Implementers Forum, while USB Promoter Group announces the USB4 specification that is based on Thunderbolt 3. USB4 supports 40 Gbps transfer rates and enables the use of multiple data and display protocols simultaneously.