AllAboutShare.com

First-tier makers NVIDIA and AMD are dissatisfied with Intel’s ownership of the USB 3.0 specification, CNET reported yesterday. The next-generation high-speed USB 3.0 specification is aiming to become standard in 2009. It will be 10 times faster than USB 2.0 and at the same time as widespread as the current USB 2.0. The USB 3.0 will also retain full compatibility with USB 2.0 and presumably USB 1.0. The main investitors behind the USB 3.0 specs include Intel as well as Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Texas Instruments, NEC, and NXP Semiconductors. “The challenge is that Intel is not…giving the specification to anybody that competes with CPUs and chipsets,” said a source close to AMD who is familiar with the dispute. As a result AMD, NVIDIA, VIA Technologies and probably others could be driven to create their own USB 3.0 specification that may lead to a lot of frustration and money lost on development. “We are going to be forced to create a secondary specification … new open host controller standard for USB 3.0.” the AMD source added. “They could spend the time, engineers and money developing their own host controller spec,” an Intel source said. “In the past they have chosen to let us do the work and then benefit from the fruit of our labor.