Intel Confirms Native Support for USB 3.0 on Future Processors with Thunderbolt

Intel Z68 ChipsetIntel is very busy with the popularization of its new Thunderbolt interface, but is also concerned with future additional improvements it can offer for peripherals in computers based on their processors and controllers. O roadmap company was updated this week and finally the support for USB 3.0 was cited, which will reach its products next year.

The current Sandy Bridge chips will give way to a new platform, Ivy Bridge, maintaining the same design and features in a smaller format, manufactured at 22 nanometers. However, the USB controllers on the new platform will finally support USB 3.0 by default, together with Thunderbolt. The move is believed to have been planned to maintain technical competitiveness with AMD, which announced similar plans for part of its processors.

During the development of Thunderbolt, Intel debated which peripheral technology would have priority support in its processors and, in the discussion, chose to finish it first before addressing USB 3.0. Some even thought that the second standard would have no future for the company, but now it says that the two technologies are really complementary.

(via CNET)