Intel denies hijacking USB 3

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 12 Jun 2008 at 17:41

Intel has denied rivals' allegations that it's hijacking the USB 3 standard.

In a forthright blog post, Intel's Nick Knupffer says the company wants to "set the record straight" on its involvement with USB 3, the next-generation standard that promises to increase connection speeds by up to 10 times.

"USB 3 is not an Intel specification; it is being developed by the USB 3 Promoter Group," Knuppffer asserts, citing members including Microsoft, HP and NEC. He claims the specification for USB 3 will be made available "very soon".

"In parallel, but separately; Intel is investing heavily (think gazillions of dollars and bazillions of engineering man hours) in resources to create an Intel host controllers spec in order to speed time to market of the USB 3 technology," he says.

"Think of the host controller spec as a 'Dummies Guide' to building a USB 3 compatible piece of silicon; it is NOT the USB 3 specification itself.

"The industry is keen to get this guide as it will allow them to build USB 3.0 compatible circuits without repeating the massive investment undertaken by Intel," he adds.

Intel has faced accusations that it's not allowing rival access to the controller spec, accusations that Knuppfer categorically denies.

"No Intel isn't holding back the specification, the whole point of Intel investing heavily (gazillions of dollars and bazillions of man hours) into creating this 'Dummies Guide' is to enable the industry to start building USB 3 into their silicon as soon as possible, so why would Intel purposefully delay?" he asks.

However, he does suggest that Intel won't be playing ball until it decides the spec is complete. "One danger however of distributing an unfinished spec is the risk of incompatible hardware down the line, leading to a right mess."

"As an Intel specification Intel has the responsibility to insure that specifications we deliver to the industry are fully developed and mature enough for others to use.

"The Intel host controller spec is expected to be unveiled to the industry as soon as possible, in the second half of the year."