Thunderbolt 5 was unveiled on Tuesday (Sept. 12) as Intel’s next-generation external connector. The new technology can transmit data at 80Gbps to meet the demands of content creators and gamers and is promised to deliver up to 120Gbps of bandwidth, three times more than the three-year-old Thunderbolt 4. Built on USB4 v2, Thunderbolt 5 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 announced Thunderbolt 5 – The next generation of Thunderbolt – with significant connectivity speed and bandwidth gains. As mentioned, it will offer 80Gbps bi-directional data speeds. It is said to transmit data at up to 120Gbps speeds in Bandwidth Boost mode. This will allow content creators and gamers to connect up to two 8K displays to the monitor. These improvements will mark a three-fold increased bandwidth compared to Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt 4 which officially came back in 2020 supports speeds of up to 40Gbps.
As expected from leaks and rumors, Thunderbolt 5 includes USB4 v2 specifications. It is compatible with previous versions of Thunderbolt and USB. Claimed to double PCI Express data throughput for faster storage and external graphics.
Intel has implemented a new PAM-3 (3-level Pulse Amplitude Modulation) signaling technology on Thunderbolt 5 to increase speeds. Thunderbolt 5 supports 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 high-speed PC to PC connections.
“Thunderbolt 5 will deliver industry-leading performance and capability to connect computers to monitors, docks, storage, and more. Intel is excited to continue our tradition of leadership for wired connectivity solutions”, says Jason Ziller, general manager of the Client Connectivity Division at Intel. “Thunderbolt is now the mainstream port for connectivity on mobile PCs, and the next generation of performance sending out. That said, Thunderbolt 5 will provide even more capacity for the most demanding users.
Computers and accessories such as docks, monitors and storage drives based on Intel’s Thunderbolt 5 controller are expected to be available next year.