NEC has unveiled the world’s first SuperSpeed USB 3.0 host controller. The new standard is backwards compatible with its predecessors, USB 2.0, 1.1 and 1.0. Supporting transfer speeds of up to 5Gb/s, on paper, the µPD720200 is ten times the speed of USB 2.0.

NEC states that their new host controller makes it possible to broaden the boundaries of digital electronics such as PCs, TVs and DVD recorders. Their SuperSpeed USB 3.0 chip only requires 70 seconds to transfer 25GB of video content on a Blu-ray disc, which compares to 14 minutes when using USB 2.0 at 480Mb/s. The increase in transfer speed is expected to allow system designers to quickly transfer large-volume data quickly and efficiently.

The chip measures 10 x 10mm and only consumes up to 1W. Samples of the new host controller are scheduled to be available in June for about $15. The company hopes to have a monthly production of one million units in September. The latest device will be exhibited at the SuperSpeed USB Developers Conference in Tokyo, Japan on the 20 and 21 of this month.