Intel relents on USB 3.0 to appease Nvidia, AMD

To appease Nvidia and AMD, Intel on Wednesday released the draft specification of what it calls the Extensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI). This specification provides a standardized method for USB 3.0 hardware to communicate with USB 3.0-specific software. Nvidia and AMD had earlier threatened to develop their own USB 3.0 specification unless Intel opened up this aspect of the specification. The two companies have since signed an agreement to use Intel's USB 3.0 specifications instead. Coming at 10 times the speed of USB 2.0, USB 3.0 clocks in at roughly 5 gigabits per second, with devices expected to appear in 2009. At this point, Intel says that the specification is "90 percent" complete.

For more on USB 3.0:
- check out this CNET News article