Intel at its developer forum said it didn’t expect Light Peak to be shipping in computers or other devices until 2012. The chipsets to drive the fiber optic data link will be ready by late 2011. The remarks push back the technology back a year later than initially thought. Intel hasn’t attributed any delays to the new schedule.
A 2012 launch would partly help support USB 3.0. The 5Gbps external connectors may only be reaching Intel’s own chipsets next year.
Light Peak will reach at least 10Gbps and is meant primarily to host USB, FireWire and other connection types on a single interface. It may scale as high as 100Gbps in the long term. Intel has already envisioned it providing fast syncing for smartphones and other devices but has shown it streaming multiple video feeds and other techniques that are difficult or impractical today.
