Intel first demos next-gen Thunderbolt port: Speed up to 80Gbps
Intel recently conducted a technical presentation at its development center in Israel to share information on its latest products. Recently, Intel confirmed that Raptor Lake could be clocked at 6GHz, and shared more information about its processor design and verification process.
According to TomsHardware, Intel demonstrated the next-generation Thunderbolt port for the first time today, using a USB-C cable in a public how-to video, at speeds up to 80 Gbps. There is no official name for the new port, though, and it’s unclear when it will be released. In fact, last year Gregory Bryant, executive vice president, and general manager of Intel’s client computing group, accidentally posted a photo by mistake, exposing the data transfer speed of the new generation of Thunderbolt, and letting people know that the speed will be doubled.
Image: Tom’s Hardware
Recently, the USB Promoter Group announced the upcoming release of the USB4 2.0 specification, which can achieve a data transfer rate of up to 80 Gbps through a USB Type-C cable. The new generation of Thunderbolt ports also doubles the speed, and Intel is likely to use a similar naming scheme rather than just calling it Thunderbolt 5. At present, it is only known that the speed of the new generation of Thunderbolt will double, and Intel has not announced specific technical specifications.
Image: Tom’s Hardware
Intel’s development center in Haifa, Israel, is responsible for all of its Thunderbolt and USB work, ranging from product definition, hardware, software design and verification, high-volume manufacturing (HVM), and product implementation. Thunderbolt products can be tested and certified at nine facilities around the world using an Intel-supported ecosystem.
