Intel Reveals Thunderbolt 5 Connectivity Standard With Higher Speeds & More Capability

Intel has today revealed the next generation of its Thunderbolt technology delivering significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth.

Thunderbolt 5

The new Thunderbolt 5 has enhanced connectivity over the previous Thunderbolt 4 in both speed and the overall capabilities of the connection. This new standard has been built upon USB-4 and has allowed for up to 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth and Bandwidth boost allows up to 120 Gbps providing outstanding data transfer as well as display connectivity.

On top of bandwidth speeds, Thunderbolt 5 also allows for multiple 8K monitor connectivity and up to 540Hz refresh rates through the display and up to three 4K 144Hz displays as opposed to two 4K 60Hz displays of the previous gen. Thunderbolt 5 also allows for a single cable for more notebooks.

What Intel & Microsoft Had To Say

“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. 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,” said Jason Ziller, general manager of the Client Connectivity Division at Intel.

“Microsoft is excited to closely collaborate with Intel to bring the latest USB4 standard to Windows customers,” said Ian LeGrow, corporate vice president of Core OS product management at Microsoft Corp. “Thunderbolt 5 is fully USB 80 Gbps standard compliant to support the next generation of high-performance displays, storage and connectivity.”

New Features

• Two times the total bi-directional bandwidth; Bandwidth Boost provides up to three times the throughput for video-intensive usage, up to 120 Gbps.
• Double the PCI Express data throughput for faster storage and external graphics.
• Built on industry standards including USB4 V2, DisplayPort 2.1 and PCI Express Gen 4; fully compatible with previous versions.
• Double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt Networking for high-speed PC-to-PC connections.
• Utilizes a new signaling technology, PAM-3, to deliver these significant increases in performance with today’s printed circuit boards, connectors and passive cables up to 1 meter.

Availability

Computers and accessories based on Intel’s Thunderbolt 5 controller, code-named “Barlow Ridge,” are expected to be available starting in 2024.