ASMedia Technology Inc., a leading provider of high-speed interface chips, announced that its USB4 host controller chip, the ASM4242, has won the COMPUTEX 2025 Best Choice Award in the Computer & System category. ASM4242 is the world's first non-Intel third-party company to achieve dual certification for USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 host controllers. This award reaffirms ASMedia's technical expertise and product innovation in the high-speed transmission field. From USB 3.1 and USB 3.2 to USB4, ASMedia has consistently led the world in obtaining USB-IF certifications for both host and device controller chips. Through USB4 technology integration, the company is doubling data storage speeds while also expanding the possibilities for edge computing and AI applications.
The ASMedia ASM4242 host controller supports dual USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 modes, delivering up to 40 Gbps of bandwidth. A single port meets demands for high-speed data transfer, device charging, and high-resolution video output, while maintaining backward compatibility with existing Thunderbolt and USB versions.
Beyond the traditional PC market, ASM4242 extends USB4 to diverse applications. Its core advantage lies in integrating USB data transfer, high-speed PCIe lanes, DisplayPort video output, and Power Delivery through a single USB-C cable, delivering significant value for non-PC scenarios:
• AI Developers: Transfer large language models (LLMs) or training datasets, enabling efficient PC-to-PC file sharing.
• Smart Automotive: Vehicles equipped with four USB4 ports, including 48V power output to directly drive high-power in-car devices, or in-car entertainment systems transmitting synchronized signals to 4K displays via USB4 , while also allowing for real-time updates to the vehicle safety database through plug-and-play rapid expandability.
• Medical: The single-cable design of USB4 significantly simplifies for medical imaging devices (like ultrasound, endoscopes), enabling high-speed image transmission, real-time data access, and stable power supply. The single cable facilitates easy connection and disinfection for mobile equipment, effectively enhancing the integration and reliability of medical devices.
• Professional Audio/Video (Pro AV): Live streaming equipment utilizes USB4 for real-time 8K video transmission and multi-screen monitoring, boosting production efficiency. It meets the demands for 4K/8K video editing and high-speed asset storage/backup. AV professionals can connect high-speed SSDs, professional monitors, and other peripherals via USB4, significantly improving workflow efficiency.
• Industrial : Industrial PCs (IPCs) are adopting the USB4 interface to achieve microsecond-level precise synchronization control. In machine vision applications, USB4 high-resolution cameras support 8K@60fps image transmission, enhancing smart manufacturing and quality inspection.
The ASM4242 and its USB4 product line realize the vision of “one cable for multiple applications,” unifying data, video, and power transmission through the USB Type-C interface, simplifying user configurations, and boosting productivity.
Furthermore, ASMedia’s breakthroughs in USB and PCIe integration drive AI application development, upgrading existing devices into high-performance AI computing platforms. By bridging GPUs with external.
accelerators or storage devices, ASMedia’s USB4 solutions accelerate AI model training and inference, enhancing edge computing platform performance.