Quote from: _MT_ on August 26, 2020, 09:49:55
Quote from: DougJudy on August 25, 2020, 23:37:24
Pretty much, all that's left is for manufacturers to implement it. The underlying platform (zen 2) clearly supports it, there's desktop boards with tb3 and even the ones without can be made to work with add on cards, I wouldn't put past there being a specific incompatibility with Renoir but I doubt it
I'm still hopeful this is not a mistake, but let's see
No, "Zen 2" doesn't support Thunderbolt. Putting aside that the statement makes no sense since Zen 2 is a code name for the core, not platform (and it's the I/O die that would support it, not the core). But no processor with Zen 2 cores (or any other AMD processor; or chipset) supports Thunderbolt. Yes, it's possible to offer TB3 support on motherboards with Ryzen processors. All you need is PCIe, which is available on those systems, and a Thunderbolt controller. The controller is the problem. Initially, Intel controlled that aspect. I think it was in 2018 that they've opened that up and anyone could make them. So, AMD is free to build a controller into future Ryzen processors or future chipsets (AFAIK). And anyone can make a standalone controller. Back to the point, USB4 support plays no role here. It's possible to have USB4 and no TB support. And in that case, TB devices (GPU, SSD, 10G LAN, etc.) are not going to work. Actually, this configuration can be desirable for companies. Because TB exposes PCIe bus which is not good for security. Sure, you can disable TB in BIOS. The problem with that solution is that you'll lose that port completely. All TB enabled ports will be dead (I guess PD might work, but no USB and no DP AFAIK). So, it's desirable to have USB C ports without TB support in case the customer wants to disable TB.
I think current AMD systems don't have native TB support because it was too late when Intel opened up controller manufacture. And how they see this technology, how important it seems to them, is a question.
What still remains, AFAIK, is the certification. Intel is the certifying body for Thunderbolt. Unless that changed recently. And that could be a struggle. Although, it's possible. I think it's ASRock who have an AM4 motherboard with certified TB3.
TB3 interoperability with USB4 is completely up to the USB Host manufacturer and does not require any type of certification, although it can optionally be done.