SLYY228 November 2024
Author: Mike Campbell
The USB4 standard enables greater bandwidth than previous USB generations. Using the USB Type-C® (USB-C®) interface, USB4 version 1, released in 2019, increases the aggregated bandwidth to 40Gbps from the 20Gbps defined in the USB 3.2 specification. In 2022, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) released USB4 version 2, enabling another speed step to 80Gbps for symmetric operation and 120Gbps for asymmetric operation. With such high bandwidth, USB4 offers the ability to tunnel multiple, independent protocols such as Peripheral Component Internconnect Express (PCIe), USB3 and DisplayPort™ over the same physical interface. Supported only on USB-C, USB4 is backward compatible with the USB2 and USB3.2 standards, as well as being backward compatible to Thunderbolt 3, enabling users to use existing products.