Sumitomo Electric Receives the World’s First Thunderbolt Certification for the Optical Thunderbolt Cable, and Starts Mass

  Sumitomo Electric Receives the World’s First Thunderbolt Certification for
  the Optical Thunderbolt Cable, and Starts Mass Production

Business Wire

TOKYO -- December 21, 2012

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (TOKYO:5802)(ISIN:JP3407400005) has become
the first company to receive Thunderbolt certification from Intel Corporation
for the optical Thunderbolt cable and has started the mass production. Based
on Intel’s Thunderbolt technology, this new optical Thunderbolt cable enables
long-distance data transmission. Sumitomo Electric developed this cable
through its expertise in optical fiber and module development and, in April
2012, began shipment of the sample products.

Optical Thunderbolt cable (Photo: Business Wire)

Optical Thunderbolt cable (Photo: Business Wire)

All Thunderbolt products must undergo a certification process to ensure
optimal operation and end-user experience. The officially certified products
provide highly reliable data transmission at a high speed of 10Gbps.

“Thunderbolt technology continues to bring performance and versatility to Macs
and PCs today,” said Jason Ziller, Director, Thunderbolt Planning and
Marketing, Intel Corporation. “Sumitomo’s new optical Thunderbolt cables add
another level of versatility to Thunderbolt, especially for media creators and
enthusiasts.”

The optical Thunderbolt cable is an active optical cable that enables
long-distance transmission up to 30 meters to connect Thunderbolt devices
together. The optical Thunderbolt cable is the same diameter as the
conventional metal Thunderbolt cable (4.2 mm), and handles just as easily.
Sumitomo Electric’s special optical fiber makes the cable robust and durable
for everyday use. This optical fiber offers high bending performance even when
pinched up to 180 degrees or tangled in knots.

[Lineup of the Thunderbolt cables]

                                                             
      Transmission media       Metal cable                  Optical cable
      Number of channels       2
      Transmission rate per    10 Gbps
      channel
      Transmission capacity    20 Gbps
      Outside diameter         4.2 mm
                               0.3m, 0.5m, 1.0m
      Cable length                                          10m, 20m, 30m
                               1.5m, 2.0m, 3.0m
      Connector size           28mm                         38mm
      Bus power supply         10 W                         None
      Others                   A host computer and up to six devices can be
                               daisy-chained

Intel, the Intel logo, and Thunderbolt are registered trademarks of the Intel
Corporation in the US and other countries.

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Contact:

(USA)
SUMITOMO ELECTRIC U.S.A., INC.
Sean Park, +1 408-232-9615
Sales & Marketing
Electronics Group
jpark@sumitomo.com
or
(Europe)
SEI Interconnect Products (Europe) Ltd.
Björn Gerlach, +49 (0) 40-5265-0172
Sales Department (Wire and Components),
German Branch Office
b.gerlach@sumi-electric.de