end of hdd?

Thunderbolt is the repackaging of the several lanes of PCIe with DisplayPort into a common miniDisplayPort-like (mDP) cable, which is why the PCIe cages can work (no protocol translation). Intel cites it as Dual-protocol.

So, while it is another version of PCIe, it is so significantly different that it needs to be considered in relation to what supports it for itself.