Widespread Thunderbolt™ 5 Adoption Expected Slowly, But Surely

It’s been about a year since the first Thunderbolt™ 5 products were unveiled at CES 2024. Aside from impressive specifications of 120Gbps bandwidth and 240W charging speeds, increased demand for large scale data transfer in the current AI era is also expected to provide strong tailwinds to Thunderbolt 5’s proliferation. Furthermore, the technology’s ability to power up to three 4K displays aptly comes during a time when AR/VR technology is expected to raise the bar for visuals.

Market arrival of Thunderbolt 5 devices hint at optimistic growth runway

With a forecasted CAGR of 19.3% from 2025 to 2031¹, players within the personal and commercial electronics markets are understandably excited about the technology’s further prospects. Thunderbolt 5’s inclusion within the latest M4 Pro and M4 Max-powered Macbooks² was seen as a welcome step towards fully utilizing capabilities provided by the standard. Accessories such as Apple’s Thunderbolt 5 Pro Cable and OWC’s Thunderbolt 5 Hub also highlight the ecosystem’s rapid growth.

Specifications & flexibility welcome by high-end users

While expert consensus maintains that the upper-end of Thunderbolt 5’s capacity will not be needed for the average user’s daily needs, it nevertheless captures another highly lucrative market segment formed by professional gamers and video editors who desire greater data and visual performance. In fact, Thunderbolt 5’s ability to reduce desktop clutter by condensing communication and transferring data into a single connection is highly welcome by these communities.

In place of messy cables is an increased capacity for external connectivity. Up to six Thunderbolt monitors can now be linked to a single Thunderbolt port on docking stations or laptops through a method known as daisy chaining³. To achieve this, start by plugging an external display to a daisy chain port on the docking station. A second monitor can then be added via the daisy-chained port on the first monitor, and so on.

Backwards compatibility for upgrading ease

The fact that Thunderbolt 5 ports continue to be equipped with USB-C connectors means that new cables can be seamlessly added to existing setups, racking up cost and time savings for users who would prefer not to overhaul their entire system to enjoy the upgrade. Right now, the biggest obstacle holding back the floodgates of widespread Thunderbolt 5 adoption seems to be with the lack of 8K broadcast content. Lower than expected demand for 8K has naturally diminished the value of Thunderbolt 5’s ability to support multiple 8K displays.

Entering the mainstream beyond 2027

However, LG’s launch of their 6k display with Thunderbolt 5 connection⁴ gives reason to believe that this chicken-and-egg problem will be resolved within the foreseeable future. The launch also marked a step forward from the industry-standard 4K displays, with Senior Principal Engineer of Intel Abdul Ismail predicting that Thunderbolt 5 adoption will eventually come after 2027⁵.

In the meantime, PC gaming is expected to be the main driver of acceleration towards 8K content. Some users have already reported investing in Thunderbolt 5 docking stations, external drives, and other peripherals⁶ in preparation for eventual upgrades. These efforts at future proofing workstations suggest that demand for Thunderbolt 5’s capabilities may not remain niche for much longer as technological demands in developing economies rise rapidly.

Prepare for the future with early Thunderbolt 5 certification

Industry veterans understand that electronic product cycles can take months, or even years. As we approach the tailend of 2025, consider setting yourself up for success over the next few years by getting your next-generation data transfer and charging devices Thunderbolt 5 certified.

As the test lab of the world’s first Thunderbolt 5 monitor from LG, Granite River Labs will keep your high-resolution, high-performance devices in good hands. Alternatively, you may choose to bring our electrical compliance testing technology under your roof by purchasing the USB4^® Version 2.0 PHY Microcontroller, now officially listed on the USB-IF compliance tools website.

Clarifications? Feel free to reach out at any time.