Certified Ultra96 HDMI cables, required to unlock the full HDMI 2.2 specification, are now available for retail purchase. VideoCardz spotted Silkland taking orders for its new H96 series, which appears to be among the first certified Ultra96 cables available to consumers, offering up to 96 Gbps of bandwidth. ELECOM also revealed its own Ultra96 cables on September 8, advertised as the first certified products of their type in Japan, though those aren't expected to ship until mid-November. Silkland's cables, by comparison, opened for orders on September 14. Currently, there's nothing on the market that can actually use that bandwidth, so these cables are targeted towards future products.

HDMI 2.2 was finalized back in June 2025, and it enables some genuinely big jumps on paper, like uncompressed 8K at 60 Hz or 4K at 240 Hz with full 10-bit and 12-bit color. It also edges out DisplayPort 2.1's 80 Gbps ceiling. Actual HDMI 2.2 hardware, meaning GPUs, TVs, and monitors with the right silicon, isn't expected until 2027 at the earliest. Even then, AMD's upcoming RDNA 5 GPUs reportedly won't hit the full 96 Gbps tier, apparently topping out closer to 64 or 80 Gbps instead.

It's also worth pointing out that "Ultra96" branding doesn't automatically mean 96 Gbps. HDMI Forum has said the same badge can appear on gear that only supports 64 or 80 Gbps, so buyers will need to check the actual certification label rather than assume the name guarantees top-tier bandwidth. For now, picking up one of these cables mostly means future-proofing for a setup that doesn't exist yet, though I'd wait until compatible hardware actually arrives before spending on one.