Thunderbolt 5 was unveiled Tuesday (September 12) as Intel’s next-generation external connector. The new technology can transmit data at 80 Gbps to meet the demands of content creators and gamers, and is promised to deliver bandwidth of up to 120 Gbps, three times more than the three-year-old Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt 5 is built on USB4 v2 and will be compatible with previous versions of Thunderbolt and USB. Computers and accessories based on the new Thunderbolt 5 controller won’t debut until 2024.
Intel has announced Thunderbolt 5 – the next generation of Thunderbolt – with significant benefits in connectivity speed and bandwidth. As mentioned, it delivers 80 Gbps of bi-directional data speeds. Bandwidth Boost mode is said to transmit data at up to 120 Gbps. This would allow content creators and gamers to connect up to two 8K displays to monitors. These improvements provide up to three times greater bandwidth than Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt 4, which became official in 2020, supports speeds of up to 40 Gbps.
As expected based on leaks and rumors, Thunderbolt 5 includes USB4 v2 specifications. It is compatible with previous versions of Thunderbolt and USB. It is claimed to double PCI Express data throughput for faster storage and external graphics.
Intel has applied a new PAM-3 (3-level Pulse Amplitude Modulation) signaling technology to the Thunderbolt 5 to increase speed. Thunderbolt 5 supports the DisplayPort 2.1 and PCI Express Gen 4 standards. It is also fully compatible with previous versions. It is said to double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt Networking for fast PC-to-PC connections.
“Thunderbolt 5 will deliver industry-leading performance and capabilities for connecting computers to monitors, docks, storage and more. Intel is excited to continue our tradition of leadership in wired connectivity solutions,” said Jason Ziller, general manager of the Client Connectivity Division at Intel. “Thunderbolt is now the mainstream port for connectivity on mobile PCs, delivering next-generation performance with Thunderbolt 5 will offer even more capabilities for the most demanding users,” he added.
Computers and accessories such as docks, monitors and storage drives based on Intel’s Thunderbolt 5 controller are expected to be available from next year.
