The USB 3.0 Promoter Group has announced the completion of the USB power delivery specification that now allows devices to get up to 100 watts of power via an ordinary USB connection.
“USB power delivery enables a path to greatly reduce electronic waste by eliminating proprietary, platform-specific chargers. 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,” said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 promoter group chairman.
The new USB power delivery specification enables a switchable source of power without changing cable direction with existing USB cables and connectors also compatible with this specification and will coexist with the USB battery charging 1.2 specification as well as existing USB-bus powered applications. But the best new feature of the new USB specifications is that users now will be able to connect devices, which require more power than currently provided as well as charge notebook PCs and connect external hard disk drives – devices which previously did not receive enough power via USB.
Source: X-bit Labs