How Philips caused the development of USB 31 years ago

We wouldn’t have USB-C if not for Philips, Intel, and others.

July 9, 2025

Jon Peddie

Philips developed the I²C bus in 1982 for onboard integrated circuit communication. Intel introduced USB in 1995, led by Ajay Bhatt, to simplify peripheral connectivity. Jim Pappas, who spearheaded USB at Intel, noted that I²C’s prohibitive licensing fees prevented its broader adoption. Despite I²C’s limitations for scaling, its licensing indirectly spurred USB’s development, leading to modern USB-C. I²C remains popular for low-power, small-scale I/O. Pappas, a key figure in multiple industry standards, recently retired. Philips developed the I²C (Inter-Integrated Circuit, also fashioned as I2C) bus in 1982. It was designed to facilitate communication between integrated circuits on a single board,

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How Philips caused the development of USB 31 years ago

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