Intel is making Thunderbolt 3 royalty-free for chip makers and device manufacturers

[Jos]

USB-C is set to eventually become the only connector your devices need, but Intel is hoping it’ll be Thunderbolt actually driving things underneath. Two years after switching from using the Mini DisplayPort connection to USB-C, Intel now says it will be releasing the protocol's specification to the industry next year under a royalty-free license, and it’s working to integrate Thunderbolt 3 into its own CPUs.

That means rival chip makers like AMD will be able tu bake support for the technology too, while peripheral manufacturers can start developing their own Thunderbolt-compatible controllers.

Thunderbolt 3 is one of the most versatile USB-C solutions out there. It can handle transfer speeds of 40Gbps, power devices, and connect to a 4K display all through the same port. But while close to 150 PC models have implemented the technology, including Apple’s MacBook Pro family, royalty costs have made Thunderbolt peripherals and cables expensive, ultimately hampering its success.

Jason Ziller, Intel’s lead for Thunderbolt development says the move is going to drive broader adoption and deployment of Thunderbolt 3 in PCs, while the increased demand for peripherals and accessories should help from a mass-production economy of scale standpoint too — currently, Thunderbolt 3 accessories and cables tend to be priced significantly higher than their USB 3.1 counterparts.

Intel mentions a few scenarios where it expects Thunderbolt to thrive, including single-cable docks working as a “simple and universal way to unleash the full performance of mobile devices when docked”, transferring a full 4K movie in under 30 seconds, driving external GPU solutions for high end gaming, and enabling virtual reality headsets to work at higher resolutions.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/69449-intel-making-thunderbolt-3-royalty-free-chip-makers.html

 

[stewi0001]

Second paragraph: "... will be able tu bake support..." Typo?

please delete this comment after correction is made/

 

[Jamlad]

So Intel are finally learning their lessons.

This approach is what effectively made the original USB spec. universal, and the counter approach for Thunderbolt effectively buried it for any devices excepting Apple's.

Oh, and the original Thunderbolt specs called for optical signals, but that's none of my business.

 

[wiyosaya]

Proprietary specs with royalties are, IMO, not the way to go. I have considered adding thunderbolt to one of my PCs, but without this, there really are no adapters out there that I could plug into a pci-e slot, for instance.

It certainly is possible that thunderbolt will become more widely available without the added burden of a royalty on a hardware manufacturer.

 

[Greg S]

All I can say is the USB-C port is going to be one of the most confusing ports of all time if it can do so much but the hardware behind it doesn't always support everything the port is capable of carrying through. Also the fact that 8k is not handled on any cables yet. Hopefully manufacturers will find a way to cram at least two or three combined display port links through a single type C cable while still allowing a usb hub to be on monitors and passing power.

 

[oldikes]

This will fix alot of the current standing issues with usb-C. thunderbolt may not be THE permanent solution, but making it accessible will bring alot of devices more up to a mainstream-adaptable spec.

 

[turismozilla]

Sweet!

 

[Kenrick]

Good news is good. Nothing bad to say here.

 

[Reehahs]

Intel trying to learn here that if you want your standard to be adapted universally then you better offer it for free and wait for your luck that it gets popular.