The USB Implementers Forum — the controlling body that oversees USB specifications — revealed that USB 4 specifications will be released later this year.
USB4 will include support for Intel’s Thunderbolt 3 protocol, along with backward compatibility for USB 3.2 and USB 2.0.
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This means that the new USB will essentially be faster, and compatible with a number of cables and ports. In fact, it will feature a speeds of up to 40Gbps — double that of its predecessors.
USB-C will also be updated to accommodate the increased throughput.
Intel — one of the USB Implementers Forum’s members — also announced the release of its Thunderbolt protocol, which will allow “other chip makers to build Thunderbolt compatible silicon, royalty-free”.
The specifications for USB 4 will be released in mid-2019, but it’s not clear when the first USB 4 devices will be available to the mass market.
Feature image: Intel
