AMD's Lightning Bolt, the alternative to Thunderbolt

[jordiqui]

Although Intel has already taken the lead in the laptop competition, both with the sponsorship of the new ultrabook category and with the development of the Thunderbolt interconnection standard, its main rival in the world of chips does not want to be left behind. And is that in addition to working on their own ultraportables, AMD has presented a "Lightining Bolt" prototype at CES 2012. Designed to transmit data and uncompressed video, this technology stands out for combining DisplayPort 1.2 and USB 3.0 through a cable with small connectors. According to the company, a Mini DisplayPort socket can support up to four additional monitors at the same time, although the resolution worsens as more screens are added. This means that a couple of monitors at 1080p or four with a much less impressive resolution: 1366 x 768 can be connected to the laptop. In addition, the fact that USB 3.0 is used instead of PCI Express means that the transfer speed will be lower than in Intel's product. The final idea is to offer a dedicated AMD chip for the Lightning Bolt port and, in addition, an external docking station with which to provide additional connectivity, including video capabilities, Ethernet, USB and power, all at an affordable price. Lightning Bolt is still in an initial development stage and AMD has not allowed photographs of its project to be taken, but it has advanced that once it is ready to go to market at the end of the year it can be purchased for about 50 dollars, as reported by The Register. source

[Bm4n]

Substitutes… The good thing about Intel's TB is that it connects directly to the pcie channel as far as I understand it, which means it can even be used to connect an external graphics card. Intel and AMD should work under the same standard; it seems like they never learn: the more it's spread, the bigger the market and more compatible peripherals.