Thunderbolt Insights

What is Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt is a high-speed interface developed by Intel, in collaboration with Apple. It combines PCI Express and DisplayPort into a single interface. It is commonly used to connect peripherals such as external hard drives, displays, and docks to computers. Key features include high bandwidth, daisy-chaining capabilities, and power delivery.

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What other technologies are related to Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt Competitor Technologies

USB4

USB4 shares the same physical connector as Thunderbolt (USB-C) and aims to provide similar high-speed data transfer and display capabilities, making it a direct competitor, even though it may not reach the same maximum performance as Thunderbolt.

mentioned alongside Thunderbolt in 33% (102) of relevant job posts

HDMI

HDMI is a display interface standard that competes with DisplayPort. While Thunderbolt can carry DisplayPort signals, HDMI is an alternative for connecting displays, making them competitors in certain scenarios.

mentioned alongside Thunderbolt in 3% (153) of relevant job posts

USB

USB is a widely used interface for connecting peripherals. While Thunderbolt is backward compatible with USB, standard USB connections offer lower speeds and capabilities, making them a competitor for simpler connectivity needs.

mentioned alongside Thunderbolt in 1% (361) of relevant job posts

Wireless

Wireless technologies (like Wi-Fi) compete with Thunderbolt for data transfer, especially in scenarios where physical connections can be avoided. They offer mobility at the expense of raw speed and reliability.

mentioned alongside Thunderbolt in 0% (67) of relevant job posts

Ethernet

Ethernet is a network protocol that competes with Thunderbolt for data transfer, especially for networking and connecting to remote servers.

mentioned alongside Thunderbolt in 0% (125) of relevant job posts

Thunderbolt Complementary Technologies

DisplayPort

DisplayPort is a display interface standard that is often carried over Thunderbolt connections. Thunderbolt provides the physical layer and transport, while DisplayPort is the protocol being transported, making them strongly complementary.

mentioned alongside Thunderbolt in 14% (199) of relevant job posts

PCIe

PCIe is a high-speed interface used for connecting peripherals to a computer. Thunderbolt can carry PCIe signals, allowing external devices to operate as if they were directly connected to the PCIe bus, so it is a complementary technology.

mentioned alongside Thunderbolt in 1% (378) of relevant job posts

DP

DP is a short form of DisplayPort, a display interface standard that is often carried over Thunderbolt connections. Thunderbolt provides the physical layer and transport, while DisplayPort is the protocol being transported, making them strongly complementary.

mentioned alongside Thunderbolt in 5% (87) of relevant job posts