Israeli Intel plant rolls out new Thunderbolt 4 cable port

The new USB4 is meant to be the first step in the upcoming revolutionary Tiger Lake line of products.

By HAGAY HACOHEN

JULY 8, 2020 16:56

An Intel logo is seen at the company's offices in Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv October 24, 2011.

(photo credit: NIR ELIAS / REUTERS)

Intel rolled out its newest port called Thunderbolt 4 on Wednesday, which the company said was made in Israel. Easily recognized by its light-bolt logo, the port is a forerunner to the soon to be released Tiger Lake processors meant to hit the market in a few months, the company said.

“Our group is responsible for this product from top to bottom," said Client Connectivity Engineering Group leader Yehonadav Moshe.

The new port will be friendlier for users as it will connect to a variety of devices, bringing an end to the search for the right cable to fit a specific USB. Able to transmit 40GB per second, the cable will allow users to get more work done with the computer people already have. For example, users will be able to download photographs while watching a high-resolution film, Moshe explained.

“The Thunderbolt 4 can work with any computer that uses USB4,” he said, “not just the silicon-based computer manufactured by Intel.”

The Thunderbolt 4 docks offer up to four ports, making them extremely useful in workplaces, and longer cables that are up to two meters long.

Tiger Lake is how Intel named its new mobile processors, which are meant to offer double-digit performance gains and AI performance improvements when released on the market in a few months.

The arrival of Thunderbolt 4 was lauded by companies like Lenovo and Kensington, with Vice President of Lenovo's Commercial Portfolio Jerry Paradise expecting it will "provide great experiences and increased productivity" and Kensington Vice President Ben Thacker who said that its advancements will help his company "redefine the modern workspace."

Noting that today “we live with data floating in the air around us at all times,” Moshe pointed out that having the ability to transmit files at a high-speed “opens us to new directions.”

"The main thing is the people involved," Moshe told The Jerusalem Post, "the uniqueness of what we do is that here, we have a team which is entirely based in Israel between Haifa and Jerusalem and works in an innovative, creative fashion, and this is what makes the difference."

He added that "this is what puts the Israeli brain into teamwork."

An American tech giant, Intel bought Israeli urban mobility start-up Moovit for $900 million two months ago and employs 13,700 Israeli workers in three development centers in Haifa, Jerusalem and Petach Tikva.