Intel's 'Thunderbolt 2' sports 20Gbps speeds
Originally unveiled at NAB in April, Intel confirmed that its next-generation Thunderbolt technology will land later this year. Codenamed Falcon Ridge, the new Thunderbolt 2 protocol will double the bandwidth of the current Thunderbolt technology to 20 Gpbs, while remaining backwards compatible with current devices.
Intel achieves this 20 Gbps transfer speed by combining two independent 10 Gbps channels into a single 20 Gbps, bi-directional channel that supports both data and display. This boost in bandwidth along with support for DisplayPort 1.2 will allow customers to transfer 4K videos and stream content from 4K video monitors. According to Intel's announcement, Thunderbolt 2 will begin production by the end of 2013 and ramp up into 2014.
