Intel not planning to run around and desert USB as Ivy Bridge gets 3.0 certification
A few months back, there was some concern that Intel's Ivy Bridge chipset wouldn't come with USB 3.0 certification -- planning to push its proprietary Thunderbolt standard instead. The company acted quickly to soothe the panic of gadget fans concerned they'd have to replace their new external HDDs, but the USB Implementers Forum didn't say much beyond the odd nasty snipe at the new technology. Fortunately, the crew at the USB-IF have now given their blessing toward the union 'twixt 22nm processor and super-speed universal serial bus. Since AMD jumped on this bandwagon back in April, we can pretty much guarantee that we'll be plugging flash drives in the wrong way for years to come.
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USB-IF Announces Intel® 7 Series Chipset and Intel® C216 Chipset Family SuperSpeed USB Certification Achievement
Intel integrated SuperSpeed USB host silicon paves the road for SuperSpeed USB mass adoption
BEAVERTON, Ore. – December 12, 2011 – The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) today announced the upcoming Intel® 7 Series Chipset and Intel® C216 Chipset Family host silicon has achieved SuperSpeed USB certification by the USB-IF. The certified solution includes four SuperSpeed USB ports integrated into the chipset, enabling manufacturers to conveniently incorporate SuperSpeed USB into their systems.
"This is a tremendous milestone for the industry," said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President & COO. "With USB-IF certification of Intel's integrated USB host silicon, host manufacturers will be able to bring SuperSpeed USB to the masses. Intel's commitment to SuperSpeed USB will continue to provide peripheral device manufacturers a compelling incentive to develop a growing number of diverse SuperSpeed USB products."
"SuperSpeed USB certification of our Intel® 7 Series Chipset and Intel® C216 Chipset Family helps ensure interoperability and backward compatibility within the broad USB ecosystem," said Ahmad Zaidi, General Manager, Intel Corporation Chipset and SoC IP Group. "The Intel® 7 Series Chipset and Intel® C216 Chipset Family offers OEMs and consumers many exciting features, and Intel is excited to integrate SuperSpeed USB technology into our upcoming chipsets."
"Intel's integration of SuperSpeed USB into its upcoming core logic chipset is critical because it allows cost-conscious PC OEMs to offer the technology at a very competitive price point," said Brian O'Rourke, Research Director, In-Stat. "Additionally, SuperSpeed USB adoption in PCs is leading to broad adoption in PC peripherals, consumer electronics and mobile devices."
The USB-IF will be hosting the USB Tech Zone at the Consumer Electronics Show 2012 in Las Vegas during January 10-13, 2012. The USB Tech Zone is located in the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall 3, Booth #30769. To learn more about SuperSpeed USB, please visit www.usb.org.
