Intel Loses Its Head Over Thunderbolt 4 Speed

Intel doesn’t usually talk about Thunderbolt 4, but when it does, the whole thing could very well end with a huge facepalm.

This week at CES, Intel discussed about the company’s next mobile processors codenamed Tiger Lake, promising “double-digit performance gains, massive AI performance improvements, [and] a huge leap in graphics performance.”

Nothing surprising until now, as this is just typical PR talk.

Then, Intel decided it was time to squeeze in a reference to Thunderbolt 4, explaining that it would offer “4x the throughput of USB 3.” No other specifics were shared.

The speed confusion

Technically, what Intel claims is that Thunderbolt 4 will be four times faster than USB 3, which to be completely honest, isn’t necessarily surprising. But then, what USB 3 version?

Without mentioning the generation, what Intel does is create more confusion over one of its most anticipated releases. Why exactly?

USB 3.0 is normally capable of speeds up to 5Gbps, while USB 3.1 can reach 10Gbps. USB 3.2 can go all the way up to 20Gbps. So which one is Intel talking about?

As a side note, Thunderbolt 3 has a maximum speed of 40Gbps, so it would obviously make sense for the upgrade to deliver higher speeds.

Intel further clarified after rolling out the press release (which still includes the “USB 3” reference) that what it was actually talking about was USB 3.1. Which means that Thunderbolt 4 should be able to achieve 40Gbps, that is. But again, if Thunderbolt 3 delivers the exact same speed, what’s the big difference coming in Thunderbolt 4 and why praising the speed increase in the first place?

Certainly, there’s more to come in Thunderbolt 4, but after this somehow funny blunder, I think it’s better to wait for a full announcement rather than struggle to figure out what Intel’s trying to tease.