In order to benefit from the upcoming, ultra-fast version of USB 4, you won’t even need to purchase a brand-new cable. The next-generation USB Version 2.0 standard, which would double the bandwidth of current USB 4 ports from 40 Gbps to up to 80 Gbps, is currently “waiting release,” according to the USB Promoter Group. Because it is backwards compatible with older cables, USB-C cables that can already handle 40 Gbps will also benefit from the higher speeds offered by the new standard. “Key characteristics of the updated USB4 solution include: Up to 80 Gbps operation, based on a new physical layer architecture, using existing 40 Gbps USB Type-C passive cables and newly-defined 80 Gbps USB Type-C active cables.”

It was “a necessity when the new specification was produced, and the specifics as to how 80Gbps signalling is handled will be given once the final specification is issued,” a spokeswoman for the USB promoter Group told The Verge. When the new standard will actually be available to customers is still uncertain. It might still be some time before the rest of us can obtain PCs with the new super-fast connector, according to the USB Promoter Group’s news statement, which stated that the “upgrade is specifically geared to developers at this time.”