USB-IF Association Releases USB4 v2.0 Specification

The USB-IF Association announced the launch of the USB4 v2.0 specification, which enables data transfer rates of up to 80 Gbps thanks to a new physical layer architecture of the PAM3 signal encoding mechanism. After the update, the maximum bandwidth of USB4 will be doubled, benefiting high-performance monitors, storage, and various USB hubs/docks. In addition, the USB-C and PD power supply specifications have also been updated, and related supporting work has been done.

The USB4 v2.0 specification is fully compatible with the latest DisplayPort 2.1, supporting and powering 4K displays with a 240Hz refresh rate without the need for compression. USB4 v2.0 can also be configured as asymmetric encoding asynchronous transfer mode, which means that using the asymmetric mode of 3Tx+1Rx, the host can output 120 Gbps, and the return from the device to the host is 40 Gbps, supporting UHBR20 with the highest specification of DisplayPort 2.0/2.1.

The USB-IF Association also released the official name and logo for the USB4 v2.0 specification, called USB 80Gbps. According to the naming and logo of USB updated by the USB-IF Association, the original USB4 was changed to USB 40Gbps; USB 3.2 Gen2x2 was changed to USB 20Gbps; USB 3.1 Gen2 and USB 3.2 Gen2 will be unified as USB 10Gbps; USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen1, and USB 3.2 Gen 1 are unified as USB 5Gbps. If the cable is compliant with the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) 3.1 standard and can provide 60W or 240W of power, the corresponding wattage will be indicated. USB chargers will also have logos, which are divided into 100W and 240W.