The Microsoft development team has released an update for the Windows 11 operating system, numbered KB5034848, which adds support for the USB4 2.0 standard, introduced in September 2022. These plans were known last fall, but only now the corresponding functionality has reached its implementation.
The update is available to members of the Windows Insider testing program for Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2. Installing the update changes the build numbers to 22621.3235 and 22631.3235, respectively.
“This update adds support for the USB4 2.0 standard at 80 Gbps. This is the next generation of USB4, which has twice the bandwidth of its predecessor (40 Gbps). To use USB4 2.0, you must have a compatible computer and a USB4 or Thunderbolt peripheral,” Microsoft said in a statement.
Unfortunately, at the moment the innovation has no practical use, because equipment with a USB4 connector does not exist. The first devices supporting the latest standard should appear this year.