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Light Peak, now known as Thunderbolt, is a computer cable technology designed by Intel to replace multiple connections found on computers and devices. It supports data rates up to 100 gigabits per second, can support existing connection technologies, and allows for daisy-chaining of devices. Thunderbolt-compatible products were announced in 2011, with both electrical and optical connections supported.
Light Peak is a computer cable technology designed by Intel® to replace the large number of different connections found on computers and personal electronic devices. The initial revision supports data rates up to 10 gigabits per second, and future versions could handle up to 100 gigabits per second. Existing connection technologies can be supported and transmitted over a cable using electrical or optical technology. Light Peak was renamed Thunderbolt in 2011.
With input from Apple®, Intel® created Light Peak with the goal of replacing the large number of single- and multi-purpose connections found in computers and consumer electronics. The company hoped to replace generic connections like Universal Serial Bus (USB) and more specific technologies like High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) with a single physical interface, thus eliminating the need for different cables. This could allow a laptop to have a single wired interface with the ability to connect to accessories such as external hard drives and scanners, as well as monitors, projectors or televisions.
To support more devices simultaneously, Light Peak was designed with much higher bandwidth than competing technologies. Initial versions of the technology support up to 10 gigabits of data per second, and Intel® said this could be expanded to up to 100 gigabits per second. By comparison, USB 3.0 has a theoretical maximum data rate of 4.8 gigabits per second. Light Peak also supports full-duplex connections, meaning data can be sent and received at the same time. Devices can also be daisy-chained, thus allowing one port to connect to multiple devices without the use of a hub.
Existing connection standards like PCI Express and DisplayPort can be sent over a Light Peak connection, so a single cable could connect a computer to both a hard drive and a high-definition television (HDTV). A controller chip encapsulates these protocols and sends them over a Light Peak cable to a target device where the protocols are returned to their native state. With this configuration, existing software can be used without new device drivers. The physical connector is identical to that used by the Mini DisplayPort, and existing displays can be used in compatibility mode.
In February 2011, the first computers and devices compatible with this technology, renamed Thunderbolt, were announced. Although the first demonstrations of Light Peak had fiber optic cables powered by small lasers, the first Thunderbolt-equipped products use more traditional electrical signals over copper cables. Both connection types are supported by the new standard, and each offers distinct benefits. Electric-only connections are cheaper and can deliver up to 10 watts of power to external devices, but are limited to 9.8 meters (3 feet). More expensive optical cables can support much longer distances, but they can’t power devices.
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