The USB 3.0 market takes off, building a complete ecosystem

2021-09-27 10:46

The USB 3.0 market finally seems to be taking off—the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) recently certified nearly 120 products compliant with the USB 3.0 specification (SuperSpeed USB). USB 3.0's transfer rate can be increased from 480Mb per second in USB 2.0 to 5G per second. The USB-IF indicates that these certified products cover motherboards, laptops, storage controllers, hard drives, PCI Express, and individual chips. According to IDC, a global research institution, the demand for USB 3.0 chips will be 12.45 million in 2010 and is expected to surge to 100 million in 2011. With a promising future, various players are vying for this groundbreaking transmission technology's new market.

Intel's Action Promotes Widespread Adoption

Intel recently announced at its Autumn Developer Forum (IDF) that in addition to the Sandy Bridge motherboards to be launched next year, which will include USB 3.0 in the reference design, the Westmere motherboards to be mass-produced and shipped in the fourth quarter will also have a built-in USB 3.0 independent host controller chip. This will help accelerate the adoption of USB 3.0.

Looking back at the development of USB 2.0, we can see that after its inception in 2000, its penetration rate exceeded 80% in just four years. The key to USB 2.0's rapid market penetration was Intel's quick integration of USB 2.0 into its southbridge chip. Therefore, Intel's stance is crucial to whether the USB 3.0 opportunity can quickly explode. Intel's new Sandy Bridge processor, to be launched early next year, does not have a built-in USB 3.0 host controller in its Cougar Point chipset, which has caused some controversy in the industry. Many PC and laptop manufacturers have already listed USB 3.0 as standard equipment. At the same time, Intel's biggest competitor, AMD, has also decided to launch the HUDSON chipset with a built-in USB 3.0 controller in the second quarter of next year, and will also cooperate with Renesas to introduce USB 3.0 controllers into motherboards, officially fully integrating USB 3.0 interfaces. In this situation, Intel's support for USB 3.0 is a timely move.

It is worth noting that Intel's LightPeak optical fiber transmission interface has fallen behind schedule due to the unfinished specification, and is expected to be delayed until early 2012. LightPeak will use the same connector as USB 3.0. Intel also stated that LightPeak and USB 3.0 will coexist in the future and will not be in competition.

The Chip Market is Heating Up Again

The imminent change of USB dynasties has attracted chip manufacturers to actively enter the market. Currently, the USB 3.0 control chip market is divided into three parts: host control chips, hubs, and device control chips.

Previously, major Japanese manufacturers dominated the host-side chip market. Fresco Logic launched two host-side control chips for the PCI Express II transmission interface in early June, narrowing the gap with Japanese manufacturers. Many Taiwanese chip manufacturers have announced their intention to aggressively enter the market, including Raydium, which has obtained the intellectual property rights from Faraday Technology, ASRock under ASUS, VIA's subsidiary, and Etron Technology. According to the current progress, Taiwanese manufacturers will start shipping small quantities after October.

Hubs are a key focus of USB 3.0 development. They are an important bridge between the host and device ends and are crucial for the development of both ends. The market is still dominated by Japanese manufacturers.

In terms of device-side control chips, in addition to traditional Japanese and American manufacturers, Taiwanese IC design companies such as Innofidei, Macronix, A-Data, and Phison have also joined the fray.

The market demand for device-side controllers is for single-chip, low-cost, and small-size solutions with dual-channel high read/write performance and support for as many flash memory types as possible. Some Taiwanese manufacturers are shifting their strategies to focus on flash memory-related USB 3.0 device control chips, starting with their expertise in USB 3.0 control chips for USB flash drives. Among them, Silicon Motion's USB 3.0 chips have already been mass-produced, and VIA's new chips are expected to be launched in October. Industry insiders say that current USB 3.0 USB flash drive solutions use USB 3.0-SATA II bridge chips plus a SATA control chip, resulting in larger sizes and higher costs due to the need for other components. Silicon Motion and VIA's single-chip solutions can reduce costs and simplify design.

Bridge chips, which have a high demand in USB 3.0, have become the most fiercely competitive battlefield. Fujitsu of Japan and LucidPort of the United States have already launched USB 3.0-SATA bridge chips, and Faraday Electronics and PLX will also launch their own USB 3.0-SATA bridge chips. Taiwanese manufacturers, including VIA, ASRock, Silicon Motion, Apacer, and Innofidei, are also actively preparing. It is reported that bridge chips are mainly used in external storage devices or optical drives, and may appear in portable devices and hard disk players in the future.

The Need to Build a Complete Ecosystem

USB 3.0 is a brand-new specification, and faces many challenges. Building a complete ecosystem is paramount. From the host end to the hub and then to the device end, everything needs to be considered comprehensively. For host-side control chips, to achieve ten times the transfer speed of USB 2.0, USB 3.0 control chips must use more advanced processes. In addition to the complex specifications and the need for full compatibility with USB 1.0 and USB 2.0, low power consumption and intelligent power management are also required. Manufacturers should be cautious in their approach.

In the hub segment, due to the limited number of USB 3.0 devices in the initial stage, not many ports are needed. In addition, if there are many ports, the power consumption will be high, and compatibility will be difficult to design. Therefore, there are many design challenges, especially USB-IF compatibility testing and future user experience are important aspects.

The development of USB 3.0 device control chips is relatively easy, but currently faces a situation of "a hundred schools of thought contending." Companies are either competing in mass production speed or lowering prices. Wei Junxiong, senior marketing manager of Innofidei Technology, said that in addition to low power consumption, low temperature, and high performance, USB 3.0 device chips must also have compatibility with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. However, due to the high price of host-side chips and the lack of market penetration, the development of device-side chip manufacturers has been slowed.

At the same time, regarding important accessories such as connectors and hubs, the USB-IF has not yet formulated a plan for certification testing, and the USB-IF's progress is slightly behind market development. The construction of the ecosystem requires the concerted efforts of the USB-IF, PC manufacturers, device manufacturers, and chip manufacturers to achieve a win-win situation.

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