Thunderbolt 5 Debuts, 120 Gbps Speed is 3x Faster Than Previous Gen

Thunderbolt 5
(Image credit: Intel)

Today, Intel announced the new Thunderbolt 5 specification, which is designed to deliver up to 120 Gbps of bandwidth in a new Bandwidth Boost mode, provides universal cabling support for 240W charging, and steps up to 64 Gbps of PCIe throughput, among other advances.

As we've seen with previous Thunderbolt implementations after Intel donated the spec to the USB-IF standards committee, Thunderbolt 5 leverages the foundational aspects of the latest USB specification, USB 4 Version 2.0 in this case, but requires that all of the optional features be enabled to earn the Thunderbolt 5 badge. Intel says that Thunderbolt 4 and 5 will co-exist for the next several years, or longer, with the new spec slotting in as the premium tier. 

As before, Thunderbolt 5 cables and ports will have a simplified branding scheme. The cables will continue to require certification that they run at the full speed and power requirements of the spec, thus earning the Thunderbolt 5 badge.

The new interface uses PAM-3, allowing 1.5 bits to be transmitted per clock cycle (3 bits per two cycles) instead of the one bit per cycle with Thunderbolt 4's NRZ (PAM-2) implementation. This increases bandwidth via improved encoding, and the spec also increases the signaling clock rate -- but only slightly. This slight clock rate increase allows using many existing passive 1-meter cables and doesn't require fundamental changes to PCB design, thus keeping costs in check. However, all 2-meter Thunderbolt 4 cables require a redriver, which will need to be updated to newer redriver versions with Thunderbolt 5 — those could take a bit longer to come to market. 

Thunderbolt 4 is baked natively into Intel's current line of chips (they don't require a discrete external chip), but Thunderbolt 5 is not — at least not yet. Intel says that systems with Thunderbolt 5 will come to market in 2024, but not whether it will be enabled natively in its Meteor Lake chips, rumored to be the first chips with native Thunderbolt 5 support. 

For now, Thunderbolt 5 will officially come to market in computers and accessories that use Intel's discrete Barlow Ridge chip. Intel hasn't provided many details on this chip yet, like power consumption figures or the process node, but says it can be used with any host system. That means AMD and Arm systems can leverage the Thunderbolt 5 spec, if certified. As before, Intel doesn't charge licensing fees to use Thunderbolt, but external labs certify vendors' products for a fee. Those fees only cover the cost of testing and aren't given to Intel.

The Thunderbolt 5 interface is also compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and 4, USB 3 and 4, and DisplayPort 2.1. 

Intel positions Thunderbolt 5 for creators and gamers, saying they need the increased throughput for high-performance devices. Thunderbolt 4 is required for Evo and vPro-certified devices, but Thunderbolt 5 support will not be — Thunderbolt 5 will slot in as the premium tier of connectivity performance, and Intel says Thunderbolt 4 will continue to serve as the primary interface of choice for mainstream and business users for several years, if not longer. Thunderbolt 5 will arrive in 2024. 

Paul Alcorn
Editor-in-Chief

Paul Alcorn is the Editor-in-Chief for Tom's Hardware US. He also writes news and reviews on CPUs, storage, and enterprise hardware.

  • NeoMorpheus

    use Intel's discrete Barlow Ridge chip. Intel hasn't provided many details on this chip yet, like power consumption figures or the process node, but says it can be used with any host system. That means AMD and Arm systems can leverage the Thunderbolt 5 spec

    This is very interesting and helpful for the whole industry.

    I wonder if they will offer those chips at reasonable prices to others.
    Reply
  • Order 66
    Can't wait for more horrible naming schemes (Thunderbolt v5 2x2 gen 5 ultra max speed) I can't wait for manufactures to advertise thunderbolt 5 without including the worthwhile but optional features.
    Reply
  • dimar
    Prepare to lose TB 1, 2, 3, and maybe 4 backward compatibility because Intel decided so.
    Reply
  • NeoMorpheus
    jaydenmiller1 said:
    Can't wait for more horrible naming schemes (Thunderbolt v5 2x2 gen 5 ultra max speed) I can't wait for manufactures to advertise thunderbolt 5 without including the worthwhile but optional features.
    Actually, looks like they will keep it sane and only use one name, unlike the mess that USB has become.

    But then again, the industry has gone crazy with naming, so lets expect that to become a mess. :-)
    Reply
  • DougMcC
    A reminder that I am Trademarking USB 240! as the branding for 240w charging 240 gbps usb 5 cables.
    Reply
  • Order 66
    NeoMorpheus said:
    Actually, looks like they will keep it sane and only use one name, unlike the mess that USB has become.

    But then again, the industry has gone crazy with naming, so lets expect that to become a mess. :)
    When will they learn that all the features of the new generation of products need to be mandatory to get certified for that product? It is very misleading when a certain standard is advertised on the box despite only having the minimum features to be advertised as such.
    Reply
  • NeoMorpheus
    jaydenmiller1 said:
    When will they learn that all the features of the new generation of products need to be mandatory to get certified for that product? It is very misleading when a certain standard is advertised on the box despite only having the minimum features to be advertised as such.
    Indeed and thats what USB4 has become.

    Really sad, considering that intel pretty much gave them thunderbolt tech to establish it and they went full clown mode with the names and requirements, etc.
    Reply
  • drajitsh
    I feel that by advertising asymmetric speeds 120/40 Gbps there is some intent to deceive. Why advertise it as160 Gbps in half duplex mode. That is 4x the speed.
    Reply
  • JamesJones44
    dimar said:
    Prepare to lose TB 1, 2, 3, and maybe 4 backward compatibility because Intel decided so.
    Right there in the 2nd slid it says it's backwards compatible with TB 3 and 4...

    https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yK9acyMfKg3Y8bzTAEhx9c.jpg
    Reply
  • Geef
    Sort of off topic but there are a lot of new cable types/speeds coming out. I saw recently that THX came out with a 48Gbit HDMI 2.1 cable certification. Up to 15meters or around 50ft and they sell an actual cable, not just a certification. Here is an Audioholics video explaining what they did to make it happen.
    Reply