In addition to the
PCI Express 3.0 details, information on the next generation USB standard -- USB 3.0 -- were also shared by Intel in San Francisco. The USB 3.0 specifications will be finalized in the first half of 2008, but it will offer backward compatibility with existing USB 1.1/2.0 devices, ten times the performance of USB 2.0, energy efficiency improvements, and support for copper and optical interconnects. A USB 3.0 Promoters Group was also announced by Intel, which includes names like Hewlett-Packard, NEC, Microsoft, and Texas Instruments. The first USB 3.0 adapter was also showcased at
IDF Fall 2007.