The USB Promoter Group announced on September 1 the pending release of the specification USB4 Version 2.0a major upgrade to enable up to 80 Gbps of data throughput over the cable and connector USB Type-C. The USB Type-C and USB Power Delivery (USB PD) specifications will also be updated to enable this higher level of data throughput. All of these spec updates are expected to be released before this year’s USB DevDays series of developer events planned for November.
Protocol updates are also being made to enable higher USB 3.2, DisplayPort, and PCI Express (PCIe) data tunnel performance to better utilize the increased available bandwidth.
“Once again following in the USB tradition, this updated USB4 specification doubles data throughput to bring higher levels of functionality to the USB Type-C ecosystem,” said Brad Saunders, president of the USB Promoter Group. “Solutions that benefit the most from this speed improvement include higher performance displays, storage, and USB-based hubs and docks.”
Key features of the updated USB4 solution include:
- Up to 80 Gbps operation, based on a new physical layer architecture, using passive 40 Gbps USB Type-C cables existing and newly defined 80Gbps USB Type-C active cables.
- Updates to data and display protocols to better take advantage of increased available bandwidth.
- Updates to the USB data architecture now allow USB 3.2 data tunneling exceed the 20Gbps
- Updated to align with the latest versions of the DisplayPort and PCIe specifications.
- Backward compatibility with USB4 Version 1.0, USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3.
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