VIA Technologies has unveiled the VIA VL810 SuperSpeed Hub Controller, the industry's first integrated single chip solution to support the higher transfer rates of the new USB 3.0 specification, the company claimed.
USB 3.0 allows for a maximum data transfer rate of up to 5Gbps, or ten times the throughput available to USB 2.0-based devices. Other enhancements provide for improved interaction between devices and the host controller, including advancements in power management.
Developed by wholly owned subsidiary VIA Labs, the VIA VL810 expands a PC's USB capability by allowing more than one device to be connected to each host port. One upstream port and four downstream ports support not just SuperSpeed transfer rates (5Gbps), but are also backwards compatible with previous USB specifications and offer support for Hi-Speed (480Mbps), Full-Speed (12Mbps), and Low-Speed (1.5Mbps) traffic.
Along with power management features that include the ability for devices to communicate latency tolerance to the host and for links to enter progressively lower power states when link partners are idle, the VIA VL810 is unique in that it is the first USB hub controller to use advanced 80nm CMOS technology, further lowering the chip's power usage, VIA claimed.
VIA will showcase the controller at CES 2010.