New Renesas USB 3.0 Products Get Certified by USB-IF

Renesas has been the main force on the USB 3.0 front since very early on, and this position has been strengthened now that a pair of recent chips have received certification on the part of USB-IF.

The USB implementers Forum (USB-IF), as the name implies, is a consortium of corporations that always develop newer and better Universal Serial Bus specifications.

As part of their activities, the members also have to test and validate (or not) those controllers meant to bring USB 3.0 support to PCs or other electronics.

Basically, if one has the USB-IF stamp on their products, they are sure to get orders from hardware makers, especially if the performance is good.

Renesas never did have trouble in that area, as is once again proven by how the µPD720201 and the µPD720202, its two latest controllers, got said validation.

These may just be the last host controllers that will get certified this year, even though ASMedia and Etron also want to move on the four-port market.

Speaking of port numbers, the former of the aforementioned controllers can handle two ports, while the latter is of the four-port variety.

They also should be very energy-efficient, to the point where Renesas supposedly has no qualms about saying they are have world's lower power draw (as far as USB 3.0 chips go anyway).

Speaking of claims, the chips are supposed to work about 20% better on reading and 40% when writing, compared to previous units of this variety.

Coupled with the efficiency, this should make the newcomers more than a little appealing to notebook makers.

After all, they are even, physically, smaller than their predecessors (7x7 / 8x8mm instead of 10x10 mm) and use QDN packaging instead of the pricey BGA.

Of course, motherboard manufacturers have just as much cause to look closely at the new duo, even though the report admitted to no information being available in regards to the players on the mainboard segment.