Discrete chip to drink NEC's milkshake
Intel is apparently working on a discrete USB 3.0 controller that could
enable it to speed up transition to the new standard before it includes
it in its chipsets. A few months ago Intel announced that its 6-series
chipsets will not support USB 3.0, but it seems Intel will offer the
controller as an option.
According to Xbit, NEC managed to ship around three million USB 3.0
controllers since September. This doesn't sound like much, but bear in
mind that very few vendors chose to offer USB 3.0 on their motherboards
and demand could grow rapidly over the coming months. Gigabyte used
NEC's discrete controllers to its advantage and managed to boost its
motherboard sales over the past several months, so its success probably
won't go unnoticed and other vendors will probably embrace USB 3.0
sooner rather than later.
Bear in mind that Intel has not officially confirmed reports that it will launch a discrete USB 3.0 controller.
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