Paper Title: Thunderbolt 3: Bringing NVMe Storage to Consumer Computers

Paper Abstract: Thunderbolt™ 3 provides a significant advance in I/O for today’s desktops and laptops. It delivers up to an eye-catching 40 Gb/s throughput for data and video. It offers PCIe Gen3x4 lanes and up to 15W of bus power to peripheral devices, enabling portable, high-capacity NVMe storage that can transfer data sequentially at speeds up to 2,850 Mbps R/W. It allows consumers to easily add new levels of external storage capacity to their client computers. Thunderbolt 3 has gained key adoptions in the latest MacBook Pros, more than 500 PC models, and over 500 peripheral devices. Intel is now making the advances delivered by Thunderbolt™ 3 available to everyone by contributing the protocol specification to the USB Promoter Group. Other chip makers can build Thunderbolt compatible silicon royalty-free. The convergence of the underlying Thunderbolt and USB protocols also increases compatibility for USB Type-C connector-based products, simplifying how people can connect their devices.

Paper Author: Shailendra Sinha, Sr. Business Development Manager, Intel

Author Bio: Shailendra Sinha is Senior Business Development Manager at Intel, where he drives a large part of the device ecosystem for Thunderbolt 3 technology. He leads efforts to bring multiple Thunderbolt based NVMe storage solutions to market. He has been instrumental in expanding the ecosystem for such products by working closely with the entire storage value chain, comprising of leading memory manufacturers, OEM/ODM, vendors, resellers, and retailers. His role spans all aspects of product development, from the initial idea through technical review o, market feasibility analysis, partner engagement, and product launches. Shailendra has filed multiple patents and presented papers at various conferences. He was elected co-chair of the UPnP Low Power Committee. He holds a ME in Electrical Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and two MBAs from UC Berkeley and Columbia University.