Thursday, 27 September 2007

USB 3.0 Set For 2008 Launch, 10X Faster Than Predecessor

Universal Serial Bus, better known by its short form USB has been around for more than ten years and everyone knows its benefits. And now, there are talks that USB 3.0 being developed that will be more than ten times faster than USB 2.0.

The Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI), specified around seven years ago as part of USB 2.0, brought a hi-speed mode with a gross data transfer speed of 480 Mbits/s. USB 3.0 should now forge ahead to the heady heights of around 5 Gbit/s - the same kind of speed as a PCIe 2.0 lane.

In addition to Intel, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group will also involve, under the umbrella of the USB Implementers Forum (USB.org), HP, Microsoft, NEC, NXP Semiconductors and Texas Instruments.

Plans include the use of optical connectors, possibly in the form of cables containing both optical fibres and copper wires. USB 3.0 should also include technical measures to increase data transfer efficiency and reduce power consumption.

The USB 3.0 standard is expected to be finalised in the first half of 2008. Now looking at the speeds, it is said that USB 3.0 will enable a 27GB high-definition movie to be downloaded in roughly 70 seconds, a vast improvement improvement over the 14 to 15 minutes it takes to download the same size movie us