As Thunderbolt will shift from copper wire to optical cables at the end of 2012, adoption of Thunderbolt is expected to increase and the technology is likely to become a standard connection specification for PCs and related products in 2013, according to sources at PC manufacturers.
Lenovo, Asustek and a number of motherboard makers are set to launch products based on Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge platform, which will come with Thunderbolt ports that utilize optical cables, the sources indicated.
Intel's current Thunderbolt cable technology for Sandy Bridge chips is based on copper, and the shift to optical cables for the forthcoming Ivy Bridge could bring higher bandwidth for data throughput and longer cable lengths, the sources noted.
Introduced in February 2011, Intel's Thunderbolt is a high-speed PC connection technology that brings together high-speed data transfers and high-definition (HD) displays in a single cable. Running at 10Gbps, Thunderbolt technology can transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds.
Thunderbolt was developed by Intel, and first brought to market with technical collaboration from Apple which utilizes the technology in its products.
