Intersil unveils next gen 40nm Thunderbolt solution
Intersil has unveiled a new active cable solution specifically designed to support Thunderbolt cables. Said to offer unmatched performance and cost effectiveness, the module includes the ISL37231 – the industry's first 40nm active cable ic – and the ISL80083 companion power management ic.
The solution provides two bi directional channels with an aggregate transfer rate of 20Gb/s. Users can interconnect Thunderbolt enabled products with a single thin cable and daisy chain up to six devices.
"We've set the stage for an unprecedented low price point for Thunderbolt cables," said Roger Levinson, vice president and general manager for Intersil's signal path products group. "This will promote the simple, high speed interconnection of peripherals that lead to enhanced digital experiences. Our 40nm technology reduces the cost of every variable in the cable manufacturing process, enabling the widespread adoption of Thunderbolt technology."
Thunderbolt technology enables flexible new designs by allowing multiple high performance PCI Express and DisplayPort devices to attach to a pc through a single physical connector, eliminating the need for multiple I/O ports.
