Intel has announced and demonstrated a prototype laptop and dock running the next generation of Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt 5 promises to deliver significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth benefits for computer users.
That increase in bandwidth is as much as triple what the last generation offered, delivering 80 gigabits per second (Gbps) of bi-directional bandwidth, and with Bandwidth Boost it will provide up to 120 Gbps for the best display experience.
These improvements in Thunderbolt 5 is designed to meet the growing demands of content creators and gamers.
“Thunderbolt 5 will provide industry-leading performance and capability for connecting computers to monitors, docks, storage and more. Intel is excited to continue our tradition of leadership for wired connectivity solutions.
Jason Ziller, general manager of the Client Connectivity Division at Intel
Thunderbolt is now the mainstream port for connectivity on mobile PCs, and delivering the next generation of performance with Thunderbolt 5 will provide even more capability for the most demanding users.
Built on industry standards – including USB4 V2 – Thunderbolt 5 will be broadly compatible with previous versions of Thunderbolt and USB.
Intel says the bandwidth needs of content creators, gamers and professionals are increasing significantly. These users want high-resolution displays and low-latency visuals while working with increasingly larger video and data files. Thunderbolt 5 has been designed to massively improve connectivity speed and bandwidth to ensure modern PC users can enjoy the highest-quality visuals and immersive experiences for years to come.
While today’s needs are generally met with support for 2x 4K monitors at 60Hz, tomorrow that will change to multiple 8K displays, with gamers pushing up to 540Hz on a single display or as much as 144Hz on triple 4K monitors.
Microsoft is excited to closely collaborate with Intel to bring the latest USB4 standard to Windows customers.
Ian LeGrow, corporate vice president of Core OS product management at Microsoft Corp.
Thunderbolt 5 is fully USB 80Gbps standard compliant to support the next generation of high-performance displays, storage and connectivity.
Thunderbolt products have become mainstream in the PC marketplace, with leading PC accessory vendors worldwide adopting the standard to reach hundreds of millions of PC users active today. Thunderbolt 5 will build on this extensive base and continue to deliver on the vision of one USB-C port and cable that can do it all – simplifying the PC experience for users around the globe while still providing the highest quality and performance possible.
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.
All Thunderbolt products undergo stringent certification testing to ensure the best wired connection solution performance for the PC industry. Products that pass this testing use the Thunderbolt brand royalty-free. That’s why Thunderbolt has become a globally recognized indicator of the best wired connectivity solutions for PCs and accessories.
