USB 4 integrates Thunderbolt and gets throughput of 40Gbit/s

According to the USB Promoter Group, the fourth USB generation will have dual-channel capacity for a total throughput of 40Gbit/s. The organization reports that Thunderbolt 3 will be integrated into the USB standard.

The fact that USB goes together with Thunderbolt 3, as the USB Implementers Forum writes, is possible because Intel makes the specification of the technology available royalty-free. The standard also includes support for display protocols such as displayport from Thunderbolt 3. USB 4 will also be backwards compatible with USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3.

The further details of the fourth USB generation are still waiting. The USB Promoter Group will announce the specifications halfway through this year, and an update of the USB type-c specification must also be ready by then. A throughput of 40Gbit/s means a doubling of the speed of SuperSpeed ​​20Gbit/s, or the USB 3.2 2×2 specification, of which the first products are expected at the end of this year or early next year.

The integration of Thunderbolt 3 also means that existing USB-C cables certified for the 40Gbit/s speed of Thunderbolt 3 are also supported with USB 4. Intel promises to continue to promote the Thunderbolt brand name in the future, Engadget reports. It is not known whether a new generation of this technology is on the way.