Faster data transfer between gadgets has been on top of consumers’ wish list. Light Peak, a new high-speed optical cable technology to connect electronic devices with each other, could be the answer, says Intel.
Light Peak can be at least twice as fast as USB 3.0, also known as Super-speed USB, and can deliver bandwidth starting at 10 Gigabits per second, with the potential to extend to 100 Gb/s. At its lowest speed, it means you could transfer a full-length Blu-Ray movie in less than 30 seconds.
The technology which could start shipping in devices next year could succeed USB 3.0, Kevin Kahn, an Intel senior fellow said reportedly at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing.
The USB Implementers Forum, an industry group that sets standards for USB, was not available for comment.
If Intel can pull it off, it would mean a big change for consumers. The ubiquitous Universal Serial Bus, or USB, has changed the way we interact with our computers. USB has allowed almost every consumer electronics product from keyboards, and printers to digital cameras and personal media players to be connected to a host PC using a single standardized socket.
USB has also made it possible for devices to be connected and disconnected without having to reboot the host computer and allowed for other devices to be charged off the port without the need for individual device drivers to be installed first.
This year, major PC and accessories makers are introducing products that use USB 3.0, whose data transfer rates of 4 Gb/s is up to ten times faster than USB 2.0.
But optical technology that drives Light Peak can do better, says Intel.
Unlike existing cables, optics transfers data using light instead of electricity. That makes its faster, allows for smaller connectors, and thinner, more flexible cables than what’s currently possible, says Intel.
Light Peak uses a controller chip and an optical module that would be included in devices that support the technology. The optical module, which performs the conversion from electricity to light using miniature lasers and photo detectors, will be manufactured by Intel’s partners, while the chip maker will produce the controller.
For now, Intel says that Light Peak can co-exist with USB 3.0 as Light Peak cables could be plugged in through the USB port.
“We see Light Peak and USB 3.0 as being complementary,” says an Intel spokesperson. “Light Peak enables USB and other protocols to run together on a single, longer cable and we expect both to exist together in the market and on the same platform at the same time. ”
But because of its potential, could Light Peak end up replacing USB 3.0?
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Photo: Light Peak module close-up with laser light added for illustration/ Intel
Details on this one are pretty light at the moment, but DigiTimes is reporting that Intel will be launching its Atom N500 series of dual-core processors this June. That word comes from the site’s “sources from notebook players,” who also say that Intel will be revealing more details on its third generation netbook platform at the same time. Unfortunately, that’s about as specific as they’re getting right now, but there are naturally some netbooks rumored to be launching alongside the new processors as well, with ASUS apparently already planning at least one N500-based netbook for the third quarter of this year that will sell for around $575. Of course, Intel itself isn’t saying any more on the matter than it did during its recent earnings call, but the timing of the rumor does line up suspiciously well with this year’s Computex (June 1-5), which would be as good a place as any for a big netbook-related launch
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