Your next USB cable can deliver much faster speeds and more performance once the next-generation specs are announced.
USB 4 version 2.0 is expected to provide double the speed of data transfer compared to the current USB Type-C cables and connectors used by many of us today, as the body behind the technology has revealed.
The new technology, set to go live later in 2022, should deliver significantly better connectivity and data speeds – and moreover, you may not even have to pounce on new cables to enjoy the performance gains.
USB 4 version 2.0
Advances, disclosed by USB promoter group (opens in a new tab), the industry body responsible for developing cutting-edge advances in USB technology. were made possible by a new physical layer architecture capable of operating up to 80 GB / s – even using previous passive USB-C cables that previously allowed speeds of up to 40 GB / s.
This means that a 40Gbps cable purchased today will soon be able to deliver twice the speed without any additional effort on your part.
Existing USB-C and USB Power Deliver (PD) specifications will be updated to allow a new level of performance, with protocols also backward compatible with USB 4 v1.0, USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3. Support for DisplayPort and PCIe has also been improved, where the improved data tunneling will be used to exploit the best possible bandwidth.
Including companies like Apple, HP, Intel, Microsoft and Texas Instruments, USB Promoter Group says USB 4 version 2.0 should be a significant step forward for both manufacturers and users.
“Once again following the USB tradition, this updated USB4 specification doubles the data performance to provide a higher level of functionality to the USB Type-C ecosystem,” said Brad Saunders, president of USB Promoter Group.
“The solutions that see the greatest benefit from this speed boost include higher-performance displays, storage, and USB hubs and docking stations.”
More information, including detailed technical specifications for USB 4 version 2.0 operation, will be disclosed in November 2022.