Tech Shout!

At the Intel Developers Forum, Intel announced its plans to release a new version of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) technology in the first half of 2008. Thus, Intel together with other leaders from the industry have formed the USB 3.0 Promoter Group to create a super speed personal USB interconnect that is capable of delivering over 10 times the speed of today’s connection.

The new USB 3.0 technology has not only been developed by Intel, but also by other leaders in the industry such as HP, Microsoft, NEC Corporation, NXP Semiconductors and Texas Instruments.

The new USB 3.0 technology is soon set to replace the currently used and most ubiquitous USB 2.0 technology.

The current USB 2.0 version has a top data-transfer rate of 480 megabits per second, so a tenfold increase with the USB 3.0 technology would be 4.8 gigabits per second.

The newly developed USB 3.0 interconnect will target fast sync-and-go transfer applications in the PC, consumer and mobile segments.

In addition, the USB 3.0 specification will be optimized for low power and improved protocol efficiency. Also, USB 3.0 ports and cabling will be designed to enable backward compatibility as well as future-proofing for optical capabilities. Due to the backward compatibility, current USB 2.0 devices will be able to plug into USB 3.0 ports.

Jeff Ravencraft, technology strategist with Intel and president of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) said, “USB 3.0 is the next logical step for the PC’s most popular wired connectivity. The digital era requires high-speed performance and reliable connectivity to move the enormous amounts of digital content now present in everyday life. USB 3.0 will meet this challenge while maintaining the ease-of-use experience that users have come to love and expect from any USB technology.”

The superspeed USB 3.0 technology will be released by Intel, HP, Microsoft and others in the first half of 2008.