A new cable designed to replace HDMI and USB by offering more data bandwidth and power availability has been unveiled by a consortium of Chinese tech firms.
The General Purpose Media Interface (GPMI) integrates functions such as video, data, network connection and power supply into one cable – all currently possible with standard USB cables, but offering a higher throughput for all elements.
The Shenzhen 8K UHD Video Industry Cooperation Alliance, which is a consortium of over 50 tech companies, said the most powerful version of the standard offers a sizeable 192Gbps bandwidth – more than double the 80Gbps that USB4 V2 currently supports – and up to 480W of power, which is nearly five times the 100W that today’s USB4 and Thunderbolt cables are currently able to deliver.
While USB4 is capable of charging laptops, phones and smaller devices, GPMI cables could in theory be used to provide power to more energy-hungry gadgets such as flatscreen TVs, powerful desktop computers or household appliances...