The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has made available the USB 3.2 specification, an incremental update that defines multi-lane operation for new USB 3.2 hosts and devices.

The USB 3.2 specification was first announcedin July 2017 as near-final by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group. It is now officially published by USB-IF and available for download at www.usb.org.

• Key characteristics of the USB 3.2 solution include:
• Two-lane operation using existing USB Type-C cables
• Continued use of existing SuperSpeed USB physical layer data rates and encoding techniques
• Minor update to hub specification to address increased performance and assure seamless transitions between single and two-lane operation

For users to obtain the full benefit of this performance increase, a new USB 3.2 host must be used with a new USB 3.2 device and the appropriate certified USB Type-C cable.