Renesas Shows Next-Generation USB 3.0 Host Controllers

Serkan Toto

Dr. Serkan Toto is an independent consultant and advisor focusing on Japan’s web, mobile and social gaming industries. Based in Tokyo, he works together with financial institutions and startups worldwide. Serkan has been the Japan contributor for TechCrunch.com since 2008. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. → Learn More

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

USB 3.0 is slowly but surely finding its way into the mainstream. Today, major Japanese chip maker Renesas announced [press release in English] two “next-generation” USB 3.0 host controllers, the µPD720201 and µPD720202. Designed for use in PCs and TVs, the controllers boast “industry-leading” data transfer speeds and low power consumption.

According to Renesas, the effective data write speed is 40% higher than in existing USB 3.0 controllers, while power consumption was cut 90% to 4.5mW (in low-power mode).

The company says that samples for both the µPD720201 (four downstream ports, $20 per unit) and the µPD720202 (two downstream ports, $10) are already available.

Mass production (2 million units per month) is scheduled to begin in September.