Announcing: Publication of USB4!

Quite a milestone:  the USB-IF published the USB4 specification in August, 2019.  From the USB-IF:

Dear USB-IF members,

I’m excited to announce the USB4™ Specification has been published and is now available to download on our website. USB4 represents a major update to deliver the next-generation USB architecture and offer the fastest USB performance to date – up to 40Gbps of aggregate bandwidth. This doubles the maximum aggregate bandwidth of USB and enables multiple simultaneous data and display protocols.

Along with publication of the USB4 Specification, we will also be launching the USB4 Logo and Compliance program in conjunction with the first certified products. At the recent USB Developer Days event in Seattle, I presented a branding session that gave attendees a refresher on the importance of USB-IF certification and branding, an update on USB 3.2 branding, and an early look at the new USB4 logos and consumer-facing brand names.

During the branding session, I noted that USB 3.2 will be the final USB specification to use the SuperSpeed USB identity, which provides us with an excellent opportunity to create a visual distinction for USB4 and a unified brand look for the future of USB performance. Certified USB products enhance consumers’ experience by ensuring solutions are high quality, reliable and easy to use. I strongly encourage the industry to get your products certified, use the USB-IF certified logos, and follow the USB-IF naming and packaging guidelines on your certified USB solutions.

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Regards,
Jeff Ravencraft
President & COO, USB-IF

Design Goals

USB4 is a particularly noteworthy update, principally, due to the convergence of USB and Intel Thunderbolt™.  USB 3.1 and USB 3.2 were evolutionary steps to increase bandwidth. The goal for USB4 remains the same with the added goal of helping to converge the USB Type-C® connector ecosystem and minimize end-user confusion. Several key design areas to meet this goal are listed below:

• Offer display, data, and load/store functionality over a single USB Type-C connector
• Retain compatibility with existing ecosystem of USB and Thunderbolt™ products
• Define Port Capabilities for predictable and consistent user experience
• Provide increased host flexibility to configure bandwidth, power management, and other performance-related parameters for system needs

The USB4 specification can be downloaded from the USB-IF website:  https://usb.org/documents, or directly at https://usb.org/sites/default/files/USB4%20Specification_1.zip.