On Thursday, the USB promoter group announced USB4 2.0, a relatively minor but significant change to the existing USB4 specification. Simply put, it doubles the maximum bandwidth to 80 gigabits per second, enabling higher bandwidth display tunneling and compliance with the newer DisplayPort and PCIe specifications.
USB4 2.0 devices will continue to use the USB-C connector and remain backward compatible with USB4 version 1.0, USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt 3.
While USB4 was limited to 40Gb/s, the new specification revision 2.0 doubles that speed to 80Gb/s using existing 40Gb/s USB Type-C passive cables and new 80Gb/s USB Type-C active cables. The original USB4 specification required 10 Gb/s DisplayPort bandwidth and allowed for additional 20 Gb/s bandwidth, but the USB4 2.0 specification allows for the higher speeds needed for today’s high-performance displays.
When will we see USB4 2.0 ports on Mac? Apple tends to be pretty quick to support these new standards – USB-C ports on modern MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, and Mac Studios support USB4 alongside Thunderbolt 3 or 4. Given the timing of this announcement and a relatively simple change, it’s reasonable to expect USB 4 2.0 support. on Macs that will receive significant processor upgrades in 2023, likely starting in the second half.