Light Peak Overview
Light Peak is a new high-speed optical cable technology designed to connect your electronic devices to each other. Light Peak delivers high bandwidth starting at 10Gb/s with the potential ability to scale to 100Gb/s over the next decade. At 10Gb/s, you could transfer a full-length Blu-Ray movie in less than 30 seconds. Optical technology also allows for smaller connectors and longer, thinner, and more flexible cables than currently possible. Light Peak also has the ability to run multiple protocols simultaneously over a single cable, enabling the technology to connect devices such as peripherals, displays, disk drives, docking stations, and more. . Light Peak components are expected to begin to become available to customers in late 2010, and Intel expects to see Light Peak in PCs and peripherals in 2011.
A Collaborative Effort
Intel is planning to supply the controller chip and is working with optical component manufacturers to make Light Peak components ready to ship in late 2010, and expects complete systems in 2011. Light Peak is complementary to existing I/O technologies, as it enables them to run together on a single cable at higher speeds. The Light Peak initiative builds on Intel’s commitment in working with the industry on existing I/O standards, and provides a path to continued progress into the future. Some industry perspectives include:
“Avid is impressed by the performance Intel Light Peak delivers, and believes it will enable workstation-level media creation on mobile for the first time.”
- Max Gutnik, Director, Audio Product Management, Avid Technology
“LaCie is excited to support the advancement of Intel’s ground-breaking Light Peak technology. The new interface promises to deliver superior performance that we believe will create a new class of even faster, higher capacity storage solutions to keep up with the explosion of digital media.”
- Erwan Girard, Business Unit Manager for Professional Solutions, LaCie
