Intel Exec Leaks Thunderbolt 5
- Paul Thurrott
- Aug 02, 2021
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7
An Intel executive visiting the firm’s Israel-based facilities posted a photo that inadvertently leaked some details about Thunderbolt 5.
“Day 1 with the Intel Israel team in the books,” Intel executive vice president Gregory M Bryant tweeted. “Great views … Incredible [opportunity] to see Thunderbolt innovation … A validation lab tour and time with the team … Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.”
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One of the photos he tweeted but subsequently deleted details Thunderbolt 5, which will apparently offer 80 Gbps of data transfer speed, double that available with Thunderbolt 4. As Anandtech explains, the poster in the photo describes “80 PHY Technology,” which stands for a “physical layer” of 80 Gbps. The poster also confirms that Thunderbolt 5 will continue to use a standard USB-C connector.
Anandtech also gets into some geekiness about another phrase mentioned in the poster, which notes that “The PHY will be based on novel PAM-3 modulation technology.” “This is talking about how the 0 and 1s are transmitted,” the site explains. Basically, it’s twice as fast as the previous standard.
No word on timing or availability, of course. And how or if this will impact USB5.