Intel is planning to make the Thunderbolt specification royalty-free, and include support for the protocol on its CPUs rather than on external chips:
Intel's dream of making one cable to rule them all took a huge step forward this week. On Wednesday, Intel announced it will integrate Thunderbolt 3 into future CPUs. More importantly, the company said it would open up the long-secret protocol to the world, royalty-free. The company's explanation for the change is practically utopian. "Intel's vision for Thunderbolt was not just to make a faster computer port, but a simpler and more versatile port available to everyone," wrote Chris Walker, Intel's vice president for Client Computing, in a blog post.
[...] By moving Thunderbolt onto the CPU, Intel says it can lower the cost and the power requirements. Intel didn't actually detail which CPUs would get Thunderbolt 3 or when. If it's truly coming to all of them, it would mean every PC that uses an Intel chip would get the much sought-after feature. There's no fear of a proprietary lock now, either. "In addition to Intel's (CPU integrated) Thunderbolt silicon," Walker wrote, "next year Intel plans to make the Thunderbolt protocol specification available to the industry under a nonexclusive, royalty-free license."
Here's an idea: take the Intel Management Engine off at the same time.
Also at BusinessInsider, Wired, CNET, Tom's Hardware, and Ars Technica.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Immerman on Saturday May 27 2017, @02:53AM
Forgive me if I'm paranoid, but I don't see how planning to make it a nonexclusive, royalty-free license next year removes any such fear. A legally binding perpetual royalty free license would do that, but I've heard no such intention voiced.
Seems like making it free for a few years to catch on, and then starting to charge again for the license would be a potentially extremely profitable tactic.
Plus - just because it's free doesn't mean there's no lock-in. Where are device manufacturers supposed to turn if Intel decides to revoke their license?