After
getting some info leaked a few hours ago, Intel officially introduced the next-generation version of its Thunderbolt data transfer and display standard. The new Thunderbolt 5 technology promises to offer a massive boost in speeds and capacity compared to the current Thunderbolt 4 standard. The first PCs with Thunderbolt 5 are expected to start shipping sometime in 2024, according to
Intel.
Intel's official announcement offers up some info that was not found in the earlier leaks. The company claims that Thunderbolt 5 will be able to power "multiple 8K monitors" for content creators. and also handle monitors with refresh rates of up to 540Hz for high-end gaming. Finally, the company says that it can power three 4K displays with refresh rates of up to 144Hz.
For people who want to use the new technology to connect external devices, Intel says that it will offer twice the bandwidth, compared to the current Thunderbolt 4 standards, for products like external SSDs and for external GPUs as well. That could lead to more notebooks getting access to the latest desktop graphics cards.
