Intel releases patch for Linux that brings primary support for USB 4

Intel launched a patch for Linux that offers primary support for the USB 4 standard, which offers us up to 40Gbps of transfer.

A few months ago the specifications of the new USB 4 standard were published. This new communication protocol offers us two lanes of up to 40Gbps through the same certified USB Type-C cable. Compatibility with USB 3, USB 2 and Thunderbolt 3 ports is maintained in this new communication port. Now we know that Intel has already released a patch for USB 4 under Linux.

A total of 22 patches have been included within the Linux kernel to provide basic support for USB 4.0. To integrate support for this new standard, a total of 4 new lines of code would have been included. As USB 000 is based on the Thunderbolt standard, the amount of code required to support it is reduced.

Intel releases patch to support USB 4 on Linux

This new data transfer and communication standard will offer us 40Gbps, same as Thunderbolt 3. In addition, this new standard will have PCIe compatibility and DisplayPort under the standard USB-C connector. Little by little we are seeing new drivers to support this standard. It is intended to ensure full compatibility at the time of its launch.

At the moment the Linux driver is primary and does not have a power management system under this standard. On the other hand, the bases of PCIe tunneling, DisplayPort tunneling, USB 3.x tunneling, P2P Networking and firmware update have already been implemented primarily.

USB 4 is currently in the pull support stage. Its full integration is expected shortly, specifically for version 5.5 of the Linux kernel. In addition to energy management, it is expected that other accessories will be added for its correct operation.

If all goes well in 2020 we could start to see the first hardware and peripherals compatible with this new standard.

Source: TPU