Intel Executive Leaks Existence of 80 Gbps Thunderbolt 5
takyon writes:
Intel Executive Posts Thunderbolt 5 Photo then Deletes It: 80 Gbps and PAM-3
In this image we can see a poster on the wall showcasing '80G PHY Technology', which means that Intel is working on a physical layer (PHY) for 80 Gbps connections. Off the bat this is double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4, which runs at 40 Gbps.
The second line confirms that this is 'USB 80G is targeted to support the existing USB-C ecosystem', which follows along that Intel is aiming to maintain the USB-C connector but double the effective bandwidth.
The third line is actually where it gets technically interesting. 'The PHY will be based on novel PAM-3 modulation technology'.
USB4 Gen 3*2 has a maximum throughput of 40 Gbps. USB4 products that support all the optional functionality can be branded as Thunderbolt 4. We can expect 80 Gbps USB5 at some point. Type C is the connector, as Type A is already deprecated for 20 Gbps and up ports.
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