Intel today announced Thunderbolt 5, the next-generation version of the connectivity standard present on all Macs and iPad Pro models, promising significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth.
Thunderbolt 5 delivers 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth and, with Bandwidth Boost, can provide up to 120 Gbps for video-intensive usage. This enables considerably better display support, allowing for more and higher-resolution displays with higher refresh rates. Thunderbolt 4 has maximum speeds of 40 Gbps, making Thunderbolt 5 a significant improvement of at least double the bandwidth.
The latest specification also features double the PCI Express data throughput and double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt Networking. It also uses a new signaling technology, PAM-3, to increase performance with printed circuit boards, connectors, and passive cables.
Thunderbolt 5 continues to be built in industry standards such as USB4 V2, DisplayPort 2.1, and PCI Express Gen 4, enabling it to be compatible with previous version of Thunderbolt and USB. Computers and accessories that use Intel's Thunderbolt 5 controller are set to become available starting in 2024. It is highly likely that Thunderbolt 5 will come to future Apple devices.
Apple has held "exploratory" talks with Intel and Samsung about manufacturing the main processors for its devices in the United States, reports Bloomberg ($).
Apple is said to have had early-stage talks with Intel about using its chipmaking services, while Apple executives have reportedly visited a Samsung plant under construction in Texas that will also make advanced chips.
The talks are ...
After more than a year of discussion, Apple and Intel established a preliminary agreement that will see Intel manufacturing processors for Apple devices, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Intel would make chips based on Apple chip designs, much like TSMC. Prior rumors on Intel's Apple talks have suggested Intel could make some of the lower-end processors used in Apple devices, including the...
TSMC has been the exclusive supplier of Apple's systems-on-a-chip since 2016, but that 10-year streak could be nearing its end.
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said that Intel has "kicked off" small-scale testing of lower-end iPhone, iPad, and Mac chip fabrication, with production expected to ramp up throughout 2027 and 2028. Kuo did not indicate exactly which of Apple's...
I would just like to give the Thunderbolt standards team credit for clear branding.
Look at the connector-- do you see a 5? If yes, it's Thunderbolt 5 compatible! What was the generation before 5? 4. Not 4.2 gen 3x5. Not 4E or 4A or 4sK. Just 4, then 5.
