The USB 3.0 Promoter Group has announced the specification of USB 3.2 recently via a Press Release. The newly announced specification defines multi-lane operation for new USB 3.2 hosts and devices. This will double down the bandwidth, hence the performance of USB Type-C cable.
The USB 3.0 Promoter Group is a joint initiative of top IT organizations, comprising of Apple Inc., Hewlett-Packard Inc., Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Renesas Electronics, ST Microelectronics, and Texas Instruments. All these firms have come up together to integrate more functionality and performance in SuperSpeed USB 3.x solutions.
Image Source: usb.org
In the official
Press Release, Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman, states,
“When we introduced USB Type-C to the market, we intended to assure that USB Type-C cables and connectors certified for SuperSpeed USB or SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps would, as produced, support higher performance USB as newer generations of USB 3.0 were developed. The USB 3.2 update delivers the next level of performance."
While Roanne Sones from Microsoft, stated,
"With increased performance and seamless compatibility, the new USB 3.2 specification brings even more speed and bandwidth benefits to new USB 3.2 devices, while remaining compatible with USB 3.0 and earlier devices."
Key characteristics of the USB 3.2 solution include:
- Two-lane operation using existing USB Type-C™ cables
- Continued use of existing SuperSpeed USB physical layer data rates and encoding techniques
- Minor update to hub specification to address increased performance and assure seamless transitions between single and two-lane operation.
However, the PR indicates this update to be specifically targeted to the developers, and that a user must use a new USB 3.2 host with new USB 3.2 device along with an appropriate certified USB Type-C™ cable, in order to leverage the performance boost facility to the fullest.
The USB 3.0 Promoter Group has designed a detailed technical training covering USEB 3.2 for developers which will be imparted during USB Developer Days 2017 to be held in September last week. The final specification, however, remains to be published (hopefully in USB Developer Days event), after which the branding and marketing activities for USB 3.2 will be commenced.