Meet Thunderbolt Share, Intel’s ultra-fast sneakernet replacement (and more)

With Thunderbolt Share, Intel is turning the Thunderbolt cable into a way to connect two PCs to one another, sharing files or controlling a PC. Simple, huh? Well, except that Intel isn’t exactly making it available to everybody.

Thunderbolt Share is a new Intel specification that connects two PCs via a cable, one to each Thunderbolt port. Alternatively, you can connect it to a Thunderbolt dock instead. Thunderbolt Share offers several options, all at blazing 40Gbps or higher speeds: control another PC, transfer files, sync them, or even migrate one PC to another. Is it a killer sneakernet replacement? Sure seems like it for local networks.

The idea? You or your family own more than one PC. If they’re Thunderbolt-capable, Share will unlock a number of handy additional sharing capabilities without needing to set up a workgroup, a network switch, or any other solution. Dock makers, too, will see an advantage: suddenly, Thunderbolt hubs like the Plugable 5-in-1 Thunderbolt Hub (USB4-HUB3A), part of our list of the best Thunderbolt docking stations, won’t just be designed primarily for external displays with Thunderbolt ports.

There’s just one thing. Intel didn’t take the simple route and just make Thunderbolt Share part of the Thunderbolt spec. Instead, Thunderbolt Share will be a software app Intel will license to PC and dock makers. And it won’t work for legacy Thunderbolt 3 or USB devices either — not officially, anyway. In short, you’ll have to keep track of which devices are Thunderbolt Share-capable, because without one, Thunderbolt Share won’t work. A special logo, however, will help.

Intel

Intel

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    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">Intel</p></div>

“It’s really going to offer users an easy, fast, and efficient way to do more with your two PCs by securely sharing screens external monitors, keyboard, mouse, storage and all your files,” said Jason Ziller, vice president and general manager of Intel Client Connectivity Division, in a briefing with reporters.

A decade ago, Intel showed off something very similar: a

&t=92s&xcust=2-1-2330173-1-0-0&sref=https://www.pcworld.com/feed" rel="nofollow">10Gbit Ethernet-over-Thunderbolt demonstration called Thunderbolt Networking. This is a faster version, an Intel representative said via email. Thunderbolt Share uses up to a 20Gbps connection over Thunderbolt 4 with low latency, and should achieve those speeds on recent PC models with some variability for different specifications.

How Thunderbolt Share works

Thunderbolt Share is designed to work only with docking stations and PCs that include either the Thunderbolt 4 or upcoming Thunderbolt 5 specification. You’ll also need the intermediary Thunderbolt Share software, designed by Intel, which will ship on licensed PCs. If you own a licensed Thunderbolt Share docking station, that accessory maker will point you to where you’ll be able to download the software. Remember, at least one of the PCs or docking stations must have a Thunderbolt Share license.

Once the software is installed on both computers, you’ll be able to connect the two PCs to one another using a Thunderbolt 4 or 5 cable, Intel says.

Intel

            <div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit" src="" alt="Thunderbolt Share options" class="wp-image-2331914" width="1200" height="807" loading="lazy" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Thunderbolt Share offers four different options.</figcaption></figure><p class="imageCredit">Intel</p></div>

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Once that occurs, you’ll have the choice of four different tasks:

Control other computer: You’ll see the other computer’s desktop in a window on your PC. You’ll be able to control it using your keyboard and mouse, and you can place that external PC’s window on your display. Essentially, you’re performing a local, cabled version of Microsoft’s Remote Desktop without all of the setup. Since all this takes place over a cable, you don’t have to worry about someone intercepting your communications on the Internet.

Mark Hachman / IDG

            <div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit" src="" alt="Thunderbolt Share control other PC" class="wp-image-2331926" width="1200" height="656" loading="lazy" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Controlling another PC via Thunderbolt Share.</figcaption></figure><p class="imageCredit">Mark Hachman / IDG</p></div>

    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">Mark Hachman / IDG</p></div>

Drag and drop files: Nothing special, though the copy/move functions should take place at Thunderbolt speeds — between 80Gbps and 120Gbps speeds, depending on the specification.

Sync files: Presumably this works like syncing files to the cloud or so on: ensuring that files in two folders on the two PCs are in sync. It’s not clear which PC will be given priority, but it will most likely be the host.

Transfer data to a new computer: Remember PCmover? The PC-to-PC migration software