In addition to the update for Redwood Ridge Thunderbolt controllers, Intel also confirmed the Falcon Ridge family that will feature a speed improvement to 20Gbps per lane and should be heading for initial production by the end of 2013.

As you know, Intel announced an update for Redwood Ridge Thunderbolt controllers by adding 4K and DisplayPort 1.2 support, lower power operation and lower bill-of-material cost. Anandtech.com also managed to get their hands on a slide showing the next-generation Falcon Ridge family of Thunderbolt controllers that are expected to ship by the end of 2013.


Currently, Intel is not discussing any precise details about the Falcon Ridge except that it will support simultaneous 4K video file transfer and display, will be fully backward compatible and will have a speed bum to 20Gbps per lane up from current 10Gbps per lane. The slide shows a single channel/two lane controller which wouldn't be any faster than current ones but we guess that this setup has its own advantages as well.


In any case, we should see the new Thunderbolt controllers in the initial production by the end of 2013 while that same production should ramp up in 2014.





Source: Anandtech.com