USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces Feature Complete Ancillary USB Specifications

[Cristian_25H]

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group today announced that the USB Power Delivery specification and SuperSpeed USB Inter-Chip (SSIC) specification are both on track for completion by the end of Q2 2012. Both specifications are currently at a 0.9 draft completion level, essentially the equivalent of final specifications that implementers can use to start developing products. Prototyping activities to help validate the major technical elements of each specification are well underway and will be completed prior to the final release of these specifications.

The USB power delivery specification will enable increased power delivery via USB cables and connectors, expanding cable bus power capabilities in USB applications. The specification enables higher voltage and current to deliver power up to 100 Watts. It also enables a switchable source of power delivery without changing cable direction. The specification is compatible with existing cables and connectors and will coexist with the USB Battery Charging 1.2 specification and existing USB bus-powered applications.



The SSIC specification will define a chip-to-chip USB based interconnect optimized for mobile device internal use. The specification will bring the MIPI Alliance's M-PHY high bandwidth and low power capabilities combined with the performance enhancements of SuperSpeed USB.

"The USB 3.0 Promoter Group continues to develop practical specifications to support more platform types and new use cases, which benefit from SuperSpeed USB," said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman. "The industry reviews for the USB Power Delivery and SSIC specifications have proven successful, and it is exciting to see these specifications come to fruition."

The USB Power Delivery and SuperSpeed USB Inter-Chip specifications will be discussed during a USB session at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) being held April 11-12, 2012 in Beijing. The USB 3.0 Promoter Group intends to transition the final specifications to the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) for publication and establishment of the ecosystems and associated compliance programs by the end of Q2 2012.

[Disruptor4]

So when is USB 4 to compete with the speed of thunderbolt?

[racedaemon]

If this were to be implemented we would have more expensive USB devices. This would happen due to the fact that no portable device would be capable of delivering 100W of power in the medium to long term. This means that devices need to have circuitry and connectors for both USB power and socket power.
Also the demands on the PC power supply would be significantly greater. You would need a special connector from the PSU capable o carrying in excess of 100W so that you could connect multiple devices.

Or at least that would be logical form my perspective.

Otherwise, i really like the idea of connecting devices with only one cable, no more cable clutter (or at least x2 smaller )!