14 DAY TRIAL // Just days after we learned about Intel's decision to integrate PCI Express 3.0 in its Thunderbolt technology, a new report that has even greater implications sprouts.
By now, people probably know that Intel initially intended to use fiber optics in its interface, hence its original name Light Peak. The first iteration still used copper wires though.
Nevertheless, the Santa Clara, California-based company still has every intention of using fiber optics.
In fact, if what new rumors say is true, the optical Thunderbolt is closer than people think.
The first cables may even appear this year (2012), making it possible to deliver large volumes of data over great distances.
The drawback will be that the interface won't be able to supply energy anymore, but the 2,000 MB/s per lane of system bandwidth, enabled by PCIE Express 3.0, should at least partially make up for the loss.