Thunderbolt interface has been widely adopted in devices such as laptops, desktop computers, docking stations, displays, and storage devices. Its powerful features, including data transfer, power delivery, and audio/video transmission, all through a single cable, have garnered significant consumer interest. In September 2023, Intel officially announced Thunderbolt 5, built on the USB4 V2 specification. With speeds reaching 80Gbps in standard symmetrical mode and up to 120Gbps in asymmetrical mode (transmitting at 120Gbps and receiving at 40Gbps), Thunderbolt 5 not only caters to general users but also meets the high-resolution display demands of professional users such as gamers and video creators.

New Features and Advantages of Thunderbolt 5
Enhanced Speed: Thunderbolt 5, designed based on the USB4 V2 specification, offers speeds of up to 80Gbps in standard mode and supports asymmetrical transmission for speeds up to 120Gbps.
Increased Power Delivery: Thunderbolt 5 provides power delivery of up to 240W, offering stable power to a variety of devices.
Professional User Support: Thunderbolt 5 not only meets the needs of general users but also caters to the demands of professional users such as gamers and video creators for high-resolution displays.
Improved Network Speeds: Thunderbolt 5's network transmission capabilities are twice as fast as Thunderbolt 4, enabling faster data transfer and file sharing.
Encoding Technology: Utilizing PAM3 signal encoding, Thunderbolt 5 significantly reduces signal loss, enhancing transmission performance.
Display Support: Thunderbolt 5 achieves significant breakthroughs in supporting various displays, enabling higher resolution and refresh rates.


Evolution of Thunderbolt
1. In 2011, Intel and Apple began collaborating on Thunderbolt technology. That same year, Apple introduced the new MacBook Pro product line with the first adoption of Thunderbolt ports, allowing devices to connect to up to 6 peripheral devices via daisy-chaining, marking Thunderbolt's official entry into the market with a bidirectional transfer speed of 10Gbit/s.
2. In June 2013, Intel released the second-generation Thunderbolt controller "Falcon Ridge" and named it Thunderbolt 2. Compared to Thunderbolt 1, Thunderbolt 2 doubled the transfer speed to 20Gbit/s (bidirectional transfer) and supported 4K resolution displays.
3. With the launch of Thunderbolt 3, Intel opened up its technology to the outside world, converting related technology licensing fees into reductions. Thunderbolt 3 combined the interface with USB-C, further expanding the bandwidth to 40Gbit/s, enabling a single port to perform multiple functions. This significantly reduced the cost of port usage and supported functions such as audio/video transmission, data transfer, and fast charging.
4. Thunderbolt 4 was introduced in 2020, based on the Thunderbolt 3 architecture. As the latest generation of Thunderbolt technology, Thunderbolt 4 not only supports new USB4™, DisplayPort 1.4, and PCIe 3.0×4 (with bandwidth not less than 32Gbps) but also significantly expands the user experience.
5. Thunderbolt 5 technology is expected to be released in 2024, using the Barlow Ridge independent chip approach to return to the earlier Thunderbolt technology model. It can be used with PCs or laptops, and new peripheral devices are continuously being designed and produced.

Conclusion
The continuous development and improvement of Thunderbolt™ technology bring more convenience and possibilities to users. Whether it's everyday office work or professional creative activities, Thunderbolt 5 will provide a more efficient and convenient connection experience.

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