USB 3.0 Performance To Double To 10 Gb/s

[Arthur]

SuperSuperSpeed!

 

Source: USB Promoter Group (via TechPowerUp)

 

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group today announced development of a SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) enhancement that will add a much higher data rate, delivering up to twice the data through-put performance of existing SuperSpeed USB over enhanced, fully backward compatible USB connectors and cables. This supplement to the USB 3.0 specification is anticipated to be completed by the middle of this year.

 

Key characteristics of the higher-rate SuperSpeed USB solution include:

 

• New 10 Gbps USB data rate
  
• Compatibility with existing cables and connectors
  
• Improved data encoding for more efficient data transfer leading to higher through-put and improved I/O power efficiency
  
• Compatible with existing USB 3.0 software stacks and device class protocols
  
• Compatible with both existing 5 Gbps and new 10 Gbps USB 3.0 hubs and devices, as well as USB 2.0 products
  

"With USB technology continuing to be the data and power delivery path of choice across personal computing and consumer electronics, we are always looking ahead to how to best improve user experience and connectivity performance," said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman. "Doubling SuperSpeed USB performance will be especially beneficial for emerging USB docking and storage applications."

 

"For our customers, 10 Gbps USB represents an important evolution in this ubiquitous I/O standard," said Mark VandenBrink, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, PC Global Business Unit, HP. "By doubling the bandwidth while maintaining full backwards compatibility with the broad ecosystem of USB peripherals and software, we will be able to better meet the needs of our customers with this high-speed technology."

 

"We recognize that more mainstream client computing applications are going to need higher through-put to user-connected peripherals and devices," said Alex Peleg, Vice President, Intel Architecture Group. "Intel is fully committed to delivering 10 Gbps USB performance to these platforms while retaining compatibility with the existing USB ecosystem to help to satisfy user demand for low-cost, higher-performance solutions."

 

"Microsoft has been a strong supporter of the USB community where we have advocated balancing innovation and compatibility. The planned updates to USB 3.0 are consistent with our views," said Dennis Flanagan, General Manager, Windows Ecosystem Engagement. "These updates will enable higher data rates and allow combining of disk, high-definition audio/video and networking traffic on a single cable — all while maintaining compatibility with billions of existing devices."

 

"This enhancement builds on the tremendous success of USB and expands its capability by doubling the data rate," said Roland Sperlich, TI Consumer and Computing Interface Product Line Manager. "While maintaining backward compatibility, the 10 Gbps data rate allows users to do more with a universal standard that can be leveraged by many industries."

 

Also, what's happening with the 100 watt USB 3.0 standard?

[Arthur]

More info on the USB Power Delivery spec and 10 Gbps USB 3.0...

 

USB-IF Announces USB 3.0 10 Gbps Development, Demos Power Delivery and Display Driving « AnandTech

 

I stopped by the USB Implementers Forum booth, where they had both an interesting non-final demonstration of the new USB Power Delivery specification and some news about the new 10 Gbps USB 3.0 development specification. First, the 10 Gbps USB 3.0 development announcement stipulates continued use of the same cables and connectors for higher throughput, and although there will be a 10 Gbps certification program for cables the USB-IF expects almost all but the lowest end cables to pass without any reworking. I'm told that the newer revision enables 10 Gbps by using more efficient coding and also enables improved power efficiency.

 

The standard is in development presently and should be completed by the middle of the year. It will then take the normal development cycle for silicon and controllers to make it onto the market. The USB 3.0 specification stipulates a meter long cable that's entirely passive, as opposed to other active solutions on the market presently. Longer lengths will require active componentry.

 

http://s2.postimage.org/ktq5prv61/PD_1_0_Introduction_power_575px.png

 

Next up was a demonstration of the USB Power Delivery (PD1.0) specification working in conjunction with display driving. The USB-IF modified a Lenovo X300 notebook to accept power through USB 3.0 and the PD specification, and used a power delivery mechanism on the middle display to both power it, and the notebook with 65W. At the end of the daisy chain was a thumb drive plugged into the last monitor's hub which was available to read on the notebook.

 

The X300 was running Vista oddly enough, which took a while to enumerate and connect to the other two displays, but did indeed simultaneously drive both a 1080p and 2048x1156 display through a daisy chain with good fluidity for a non-final demo. This combination of specifications is clearly USB-IF's response to Thunderbolt, and looks like a possibly even more impressive solution thanks to the ability to simultaneously drive the displays and charge the notebook over one cable.