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Intel is working on making its Thunderbolt technology support a throughput of 80Gbps. That would put it on par with the upcoming USB4 Version 2.0 specification and double the throughput of today's Thunderbolt 4.

Intel showed a video of the "first test system" using a Thunderbolt connection running at 80Gbps today, Tom's Hardware reported from the Intel Development Center in Haifa, Israel. The demo was not live, and the company didn't provide a name or release date for the next generation of Thunderbolt, so we expect it to be a while before consumers start seeing this kind of performance in products.

The Thunderbolt connection reportedly hit 80Gbps by use of two Thunderbolt lanes, with each one running at 40Gbps. With USB-C becoming increasingly popular among gadgets and some countries considering , pushing for , or issuing USB-C mandates for electronics, it's not surprising to hear that the demo ran over the slim connector.

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USB has come a long way since the 12Mbps days of the '90s. It has waved goodbye to USB-B and is inching away from USB-A in favor of the slim, reversible USB-C connector. Data transfer rates have increased so dramatically that we can run powerful setups with high-resolution monitors, speedy external storage, and numerous other devices from the USB Implementers Forum's latest open standard, USB4.

USB4 unifies the USB and Intel Thunderbolt protocols for the first time, expanding USB's capabilities while further dividing the technology into different performance classes. Adding features like dynamic bandwidth allocation ensures that USB4 is by far the most advanced USB generation. While there are PCs, docks, and cables supporting USB4, we've yet to see everything the protocol can do, like powering an eGPU without Intel branding.

With all that going on, we thought it would be a great time to put a spotlight on the latest and greatest generation of USB. We've whipped up a handy refresher for all things USB4, breaking down the various key aspects of the spec, from how it differs from other specs to protocol tunneling, Alt Mode, and power delivery.

Enlarge (credit: Hyper/Kickstarter )

For power users juggling a high-resolution monitor or two, large data transfers, multiple PC accessories that need power, and, perhaps, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, a Thunderbolt dock can add helpful high-speed ports while powering a supporting PC, like a MacBook. This helps streamline an office setup but also typically comes with a clunky power brick to add to the mix. Hyper's gallium nitride (GaN)-powered HyperDrive Thunderbolt 4 Hub , which started crowdfunding on Monday, is hoping to change that.

Hyper, a 7-year-old maker of PC hubs, docks, portable chargers, and the like, is seeking to crowdfund a Thunderbolt 4 hub that it claims is the first "Thunderbolt 4 hub with an integrated GaN power source." The dock is a small, rounded-edge square offering one Thunderbolt 4 upstream port and three Thunderbolt4 downstream ports with up 40Gbps operation and accompanied by zero clunky power bricks.

However, Hyper isn't ready to release its dock yet; it's currently undergoing a Kickstarter campaign.