Intel Just announced Thunderbolt 5 connectivity standard and demonstrated a prototype laptop and dock featuring it. Thunderbolt 5 promises to deliver significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth benefits for computer users. It provides up to three times more bandwidth compared with the previous generation – Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt 5 is capable of delivering up to 80Gbps of bidirectional bandwidth and it can even increase it up to 120Gbps with bandwidth boost. Built on industry standards – including USB4 V2 – Thunderbolt 5 will be broadly compatible with previous versions of Thunderbolt and USB. And it can meet the high demands needed for multimedia and gaming community.
Thunderbolt 5 builds upon Thunderbolt 4 in several ways, including:
- Two times the total bi-directional bandwidth; Bandwidth Boost provides up to three times the throughput for video-intensive usage, up to 120 Gbps.
- Double the PCI Express data throughput for faster storage and external graphics.
- Built on industry standards including USB4 V2, DisplayPort 2.1 and PCI Express Gen 4; fully compatible with previous versions.
- Double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt Networking for high-speed PC-to-PC connections.
- Utilizes a new signaling technology, PAM-3, to deliver these significant increases in performance with today’s printed circuit boards, connectors and passive cables up to 1 meter.
Thunderbolt technology has carved its niche in the PC world, with major PC accessory producers globally integrating this standard to cater to the vast community of current PC users. With Thunderbolt 5, Intel aims to capitalize on this expansive foundation. The goal remains to simplify the PC user experience via a single USB-C port and cable that delivers unmatched versatility while ensuring optimal quality and performance. The announcement of Thunderbolt 5 is another milestone in Intel’s long history of leading the industry in input/output (I/O) innovation. Intel works closely with PC, accessory and cable partners to deliver the most advanced and complete wired connectivity solutions through dedicated enabling and testing programs.
