Intel Thunderbolt-based ‘USB 4’ to deliver up to 40Gbps data transfer speed

USB 4 is inching closer to the commercial launch. The USB Promoter Group on Tuesday announced key specifications for USB 4, the next version of the connector for PCs and smartphones.

The latest version of USB is said to be much faster than the current USB 3.2 standards. The forum said the new version uses the same two-lane operation as the USB Type-C and delivers up to 40Gbps data transfer rate. It will also be backward compatible with USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3 connectors.

USB 4.0 is based on Intel’s Thunderbolt protocol. It’s worth pointing out that a range of PC makers including Windows, macOS, and Linux have started to integrate ports supporting Intel’s new data protocol. Intel claims there are over 400 PC designs that support Thunderbolt 3.