Sony’s architect for the PlayStation, Mark Cerny, teases that AI-boosted graphics will arrive ‘in a future console in a few years time.’
We’re still years away from the PlayStation 6, but Sony says the next-gen console will feature not only a traditional CPU and GPU, but also re-architected hardware to further enhance the graphics with AI and reduce processing bottlenecks.
The company revealed the details in a surprise video on Thursday about its work with AMD on Amethyst, a project aimed at harnessing AI approaches to enhance gaming graphics.
“Overall, it’s still very early days for these technologies; they only exist in simulation right now, but the results are quite promising,” Sony’s head of PlayStation architecture, Mark Cerny, said in the clip. “And I’m really excited about bringing them to a future console in a few years’ time.”
AMD’s general manager for computing graphics, Jack Huynh, said project Amethyst is poised to deliver “gaming breakthroughs.” But it will require a new approach to offer “real-time physics, cinematic lighting, [and] efficient asset streaming” for next-generation games.
“Trying to brute-force that with raw power alone just doesn’t scale,” Huynh said. “That’s why we’re combining traditional rasterization with neural acceleration,” or what AMD describes as a collection of machine-learning technologies that can further increase a game’s frame rates while maintaining the high resolution and quality visuals.
