Thunderbolt 5 Specifications Accidentally Leaked By Intel Executive

Intel is likely to debut the Thunderbolt 5 by 2022 along with the next-generation CPUs. Social media posts have been known for leaking several upcoming products, and the same has happened with the Thunderbolt 5.

An Intel executive named Gregory Bryant (EVP and GM of Intel's Client Computing Group) posted four pictures on Twitter from his recent trip to Intel's Israel R&D facility. One of those photos has actually revealed some features of the upcoming Thunderbolt 5 technology.

Though the picture was removed in no time, people have already grabbed the screenshots of the same, which confirms some of the fundamental technologies used to develop Thunderbolt 5, according to AnandTech.

Thunderbolt 5 Features

Thunderbolt 5 is based on the 80G PHY Technology, which is said to be a physical layer that can offer a max bandwidth of 80Gbps, which is double the max bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4, which tops at 40Gbps. 80Gbps is the theoretical maximum data transfer rate, which is likely to vary depending on the product.

The same photo confirms that the 80G is targeted to support the existing USB Type-C ecosystem. This means, just like the Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 5 will also be delivered via the USB Type-C port. Hence, users can continue to use their existing thunderbolt accessories with a device with Thunderbolt 5 technology.

The photo on the question also reveals another interesting feature of the Thunderbolt 5's underlying technology called novel PAM-3 modulation technology. This is said to be the building block of how the data (0s and 1s) are transmitted in this technology.

According to AnandTech, PAM-3 is said to carry data using -1, 0, and +1. Hence, Thunderbolt 5 will be transmitting three-bit data like 000, 001, 010, 011, 100, 101, 110, and 111 using those three digits. 000 will be transmitted using -1 in transmit line one and -1 in transmit line two. Similarly, 001 will be transmitted using -1 in line one and 0 on line two.

USB5 Is Likely To Be Similar To Thunderbolt 5

Just like the parameters of the Thunderbolt 4 are similar to the USB4, the USB5 technology is also expected to be similar to Thunderbolt 5. Both Thunderbolt 5 and the USB5 technologies are likely to hit the market by early 2022 along with the next-generation CPUs from Intel.