Intel has used CeBIT exhibition in 2012 as a reminder that Thunderbolt interface continues to improve, and in the near future it will operate at speeds inherent in the protocol PCI Express 3.0. Intel originally oriented the interface to use optical channels, but went into a series of cables with copper conductors, whose length is limited to three meters, provided with a transmission speed of 10 Gbit / s.
Intel shared the following interesting details ... First, fiber optic cables for Thunderbolt interface may appear in the current year. They will retain compatibility with existing ports and terminals, and the conversion of electrical signals into optical will take place within the cable itself . The length of optical cable Thunderbolt will be equal to 15 or 30 meters. Optical cable is not able to supply peripheral devices with power, so they will be forced to use its own power supply.
The slow spread of Thunderbolt, according to Intel representatives is due to the need to harmonize the specifications of each device with DisplayPort , which imposes rather strict requirements for certified products. The interface supports Thunderbolt DisplayPort, and theoretically allows to connect multiple monitors and consistently, for example, drives. The latter, in turn, must comply with all requirements of DisplayPort, and this complicates the procedure of certification of all devices with Thunderbolt. With the exception of products from Apple, only 24 models of external devices have been certified to support Thunderbolt.
This year Thunderbolt will receive controllers in the form of expansion cards interface with PCI Express. This will help to implement support for Thunderbolt to any desktop. At CeBIT 2012 MSI demonstrated motherboard with Thunderbolt port . In addition, in the interface may be interested the manufacturers of digital SLR cameras.