Synopsys Shows World's First USB 3.2 Demo With 20Gbps Speeds

Last September USB-IF, the USB governing body, published the specifications for USB 3.2. The emerging specification bonds two 10Gb/s channels together to achieve up to 20Gb/s of throughput. That's half the throughput of Thunderbolt 3, which is USB's strongest competitor.

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We don't expect to see any device-side products using the new standard until mid- to late-2019. When these products do emerge, they will utilize commodity Type-C cables. Synopsys was very specific about the cables used in the demo. The company tells us that it used off-the-shelf Belkin USB 3.1 Type-C cables (like pictured above), which are the same as you can purchase at Target or other big box retails stores today.

USB 3.2's increased bandwidth will enhance existing technologies, but you'll need to purchase new hardware. We should see USB-connected monitors and storage products adopt the technology first, followed by professional and consumer devices soon after.

Chris Ramseyer
Contributor

Chris Ramseyer was a senior contributing editor for Tom's Hardware. He tested and reviewed consumer storage.