New USB power delivery system to allow up to 100W

Based on a new USB power delivery system, USB ports will be able to provide up to 100W of power. It will probably mean the end for many charging devices which rely on the fact the standard USB port doesn’t provide enough power. We have seen some manufacturers try to counter this with high powered USB ports.

“USB Power Delivery enables a path to greatly reduce electronic waste by eliminating proprietary, platform-specific chargers,” said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman. “We envision a significant move toward universal charging based on this specification, most notably for charging notebook PCs using standardized USB power bricks or when connected to USB hubs and desktop displays that integrate USB Power Delivery capabilities.”

The aim of the USB promoter group is to completely elimate the need for proprietary chargers and charging devices. If the USB port could provide 100W of power then everything that can connect via USB can be charged by USB – even full sized laptops.

To ensure that USB cables aren’t overloaded the USB promoter group has defined a wide range of power profiles for the USB interface. Each different level of current will be paired with “USB Power Delivery Certified cables”, existing cables will not work with the higher levels of current.

• Profile 1 capable of supplying 5V @ 2.0A
• Profile 2 is capable of supplying 5V @ 2.0A or 12v @1.5A
• Profile 3 is capable of supplying 5V @ 2.0A, 12V @ 3A
• Profile 4 is capable of supplying 5V @ 2.0A, 12V and 20V at 3A
• Profile 5 is capable of supplying 5V @ 2.0A, 12V and 20V at 5A

“USB has always combined data and power over a single cable, and this is widely believed to be a major contributor to the present ubiquity of USB. USB Power Delivery builds on that success and adds full bi-directional power that can be renegotiated as system power needs change with the end-user,”

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