Upcoming USB 3.2 Specification Will Double Data Rates Using Existing Cables (macrumors.com)

A new USB specification has been introduced today by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, which is comprised of Apple, HP, Intel, Microsoft, and other companies. The new USB 3.2 specification will replace the existing 3.1 specification and will double data rates to 20Gbps using new wires available if your device embraces the newest USB hardware. Mac Rumors reports: An incremental update, USB 3.2 is designed to define multi-lane operation for USB 3.2 hosts and devices. USB Type-C cables already support multi-lane operation, and with USB 3.2, hosts and devices can be created as multi-lane solutions, allowing for either two lanes of 5Gb/s or two lanes of 10Gb/s operation. With support for two lanes of 10Gb/s transfer speeds, performance is essentially doubled over existing USB-C cables. As an example, the USB Promoter Group says a USB 3.2 host connected to a USB 3.2 storage device will be capable of 2GB/sec data transfer performance over a USB-C cable certified for USB SuperSpeed 10Gb/s USB 3.1, while also remaining backwards compatible with earlier USB devices. Along with two-lane operation, USB 3.2 continues to use SuperSpeed USB layer data rates and encoding techniques and will introduce a minor update to hub specifications for seamless transitions between single and two-lane operation.

Comments

Drop the Serial

[Big Hairy Ian]

Surely if they are going to have multiple data channels then this is a Universal Parallel Bus

Re:Drop the Serial

[iggymanz]

next they'll add daisy chaining though it might need a terminator at the end and little DIP switches to set each device to a unique ID. It could be called something like Simultaneous Chained Serial Interfaces

Re:Drop the Serial

[Matt_Bennett]

The difference is that the data on each line is sent serially, with embedded clocking and controlled skew between lanes- meaning that the data on each lane is somewhat independent. In general a parallel bus includes separate clocking. In a serial bus like this, the data is encoded in certain ways to allow the clock to be a part of the data- the most basic encoding is what is used in 10Mb Ethernet- Manchester, where every bit has it's own clock, and it goes up from there.

wrong direction

[Build6]

the "one plug for everything" trend that began with USB Type C is a step in the wrong direction.

having "unique" plug types for particular purposes is a *feature*, not a bug - simply by looking at the plug, we know what the cable and the port does.

Replacing all the legacy ports is necessary (if only because the old plugs are simply just too big for modern hardware), but replacing EVERYTHING with one plug, when everything now looks the same, you end up with a situation where you simply do not know if a cable or port can do what you need it to do.

So you see a Type C plug - is it Thunderbolt or not? Is it a DisplayPort? What voltages/amps can it provide? nobody knows (where "nobody" can include the person whose hardware it is, much less someone else who has to work with it). just look at e.g. the many forum posts of people who connected "the wrong type" of USB-C-to-HDMI connectors because they didn't know their USB C wasn't the USB C that they thought USB C was supposed to be.

this is made even worse considering that there's active circuitry involved, where you need to worry about whether the cable itself is built right (see e.g. Benson Leung's long list of cables that can fry your hardware). in the old days, a crap cable just means crap performance or no connection. not any more.

Re:wrong direction

[Viol8]

"the "one plug for everything" trend that began with USB Type C is a step in the wrong direction."

I disagree. I'm utterly fed up with multiple different types of USB plug, some of them very similar making it an utter pain finding a cable with the correct connectors on both ends. There is zero reason to have all these - its not for space reasons like RS232 had its 9 pin plug since even the largest USB connector is pretty small.

"you end up with a situation where you simply do not know if a cable or port can do what you need it to do."

In 99% of cases you simply need to connect 2 devices, its not complex. If there is a max voltage/current issue then colour code the cables, but DONT create yet another sphagetti soup of connectors.

That's easy enough to do

[DrXym]

Just stop transmitting the 0s. The data rate is instantly doubled.