Speaking at this year's Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) announced that they are currently developing a new specification for SuperSpeed USB that will "recognize consumer demand for a simplified single-cable solution to power and simultaneously transfer data to their laptops, tablets and smartphones.”
This new specification aims to double the data through-put performance of USB 3.0 to 10 Gb/s and incorporate the new USB Power Delivery specification that is capable of delivering up to 100 W of power through a single cable.
“USB continues to anticipate consumer need with relevant capabilities and increased speeds, including the new SuperSpeed USB at 10 Gbps transfer rate and Power Delivery specifications,” said Greg Potter, Analyst, Multimedia Research Group. “The delivery of USB 3.0 certified products is continuing to grow exponentially, with over 1 billion USB 3.0 products shipping by the end of 2013. This huge growth is a testament to the benefits, ease of use, and continued relevance of USB technology. Industry adoption will only expand as USB continues to be the standard to which all other I/O connections are compared.”
The new SuperSpeed USB specification will be finalized by June with the requisite hardware controllers available within the next nine months. Additionally, in an interview with The Inquirer, Jeff Ravencraft (USB-IF President) added that there "is further headroom in the standard to again double the speed to 20Gbit/s" which would bring USB's speeds on par with Intel's next generation Thunderbolt specification.
The USB-IF and its member companies are currently showcasing their latest developments during IDF 2013 being held from April 10 through April 11, 2013 in Beijing.
