Intel will make Thunderbolt 3 royalty-free

Intel is looking to boost adoption of the Thunderbolt 3 interface, developed in partnership with Apple, by integrating it into processors and allowing free licensing for third party chip makers. The company announced royalty-free licensing would begin next year. This is a significant move for consumer electronics because the absence of Thunderbolt 3 in many devices using USB Type-C has been a point of contention. This has also been part of the problem with USB-C cables and other peripherals that can widely vary in quality and compatibility.

In the modern era of computing, Thunderbolt 3 could actually be an important standard with wide adoption. Speed is four times faster than USB 3.1, which is what many USB-C ports are limited to. Thunderbolt 3's 40Gbps can support two 4K monitors at once. To be fair, few people need this kind of speed, but bandwidth demands are increasing with new computers. Thunderbolt 3 is also needed to support external GPUs, which are becoming more popular with gamers.

While the free licensing for chip makers could help drive adoption in computers, users still need peripherals that support Thunderbolt 3. The free licensing should help bring down the cost of other products that support Thunderbolt 3, as well.

It's common for Thunderbolt 3 cables to sell for $20 or $30 (the latter being the cheapest option from Apple). There have also been issues with USB-C cables not meeting standards they advertise, which can damage devices. If Intel succeeds in its efforts, though, it could be a success for everyone. Peripheral quality should improve along with more Thunderbolt 3 adoption and awareness.