USB 3.0 will become a standard offering on Intel-based Windows PCs next year.

The USB Implementers Forum  has ruled that the Ivy Bridge 7 Series Chipset and other Intel chipsets have achieved USB 3.0 certification. USB 3.0 delivers up to 10 times the data transfer rate of USB 2.0, as well as improved power efficiency. Intel's Ivy Bridge will ship in Windows PCs in the April and will be the first to have  USB 3.0 as a standard feature for the first time. USB 3.0 has been seen on laptops and desktops from AMD or NEC.

In a press release Intel said that SuperSpeed USB certification helps ensure interoperability and backward compatibility within the broad USB ecosystem. When USB 3.0 is integrated into Intel's chipsets, it will make the standard universal because it can be offered on virtually any PC.

It is not clear where this will leave Intel's own high-speed connection technology called Thunderbolt, which comes on Apple's MacBooks, but that isn't expected to be as widely used in 2012 as USB 3.0.