PlayStation Partners with AMD to Integrate Artificial Intelligence in Games

Sony and AMD Deepen Partnership for AI-Powered Technology

In a move that promises to revolutionize the gaming industry, Sony has announced a deeper collaboration with AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) to develop more advanced AI-powered technology. This partnership aims to make games look and play better on various devices, not just on PlayStation hardware.

A Closer Look at Project Amethyst

The two companies have been working together for some time now, particularly in the development of the PS5 and PS5 Pro’s GPUs, which are based on AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture. The PS5 Pro uses a feature called PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) to improve image clarity and frame rates.

Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS5 and PS5 Pro, revealed in a recent presentation that Sony and AMD have established a deeper collaboration to work on Machine Learning-based technology for graphics and gameplay. This project, codenamed "Amethyst," has two main goals: to develop an ideal architecture for machine learning and to create a set of high-quality CNNs (Convolutional Neural Networks) for game graphics.

The First Goal: An Ideal Architecture for Machine Learning

According to Cerny, the first goal is to develop a more ideal architecture for machine learning. This architecture should be capable of generalized processing of neural networks but particularly good at dealing with lightweight CNNs needed for game graphics. The project combines the lessons learned from AMD’s multi-generation RDNA road map and Sony’s custom work in PS5 Pro.

The Second Goal: Democratizing Machine Learning

The second goal is to develop a set of high-quality CNNs for game graphics. Both Sony and AMD will independently have access to this collection of network architectures and training strategies, which should enable more extensive use of ray tracing and path tracing in games.

Broadening the Scope: Beyond PlayStation Hardware

Cerny emphasized that Amethyst is not about proprietary technology for PlayStation. Instead, it’s a collaboration aimed at supporting broad work and machine learning across various devices. This means that the technology developed through Project Amethyst should be accessible on PCs, consoles, and cloud platforms.

A Multi-Year Collaboration

The fruits of this labor are expected to take some time to materialize, with Cerny hinting that we might not see hardware using tech from Project Amethyst until the PlayStation 6. The project is anticipated to be a multi-year collaboration between Sony and AMD.

What’s Next for Amethyst?

While we can’t expect a massive hardware announcement immediately, Cerny encouraged gamers to stay tuned for updates on this exciting project. With Amethyst, Sony and AMD aim to push the boundaries of what’s possible in game graphics and gameplay.

Technical Aspects of Project Amethyst

In his presentation, Cerny shared more details about the technical aspects of Project Amethyst:

"With Amethyst, we’ve started on another long journey and are combining our expertise with two goals in mind. The first goal is a more ideal architecture for machine learning. Something capable of generalized processing of neural networks but particularly good at the lightweight CNNs needed for game graphics and something focused around achieving that Holy Grail of fully-fused networks."

"In going after this, we’re combining the lessons AMD has learned from its multi-generation RDNA road map and SIE has learned from the custom work in PS5 Pro. But ML use in games shouldn’t and can’t be restricted to graphics libraries. We’re also working towards a democratization of machine learning something accessible that allows direct work in AI and ML by game developers both for graphics and for gameplay."

"Amethyst is not about proprietary technology for PlayStation. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Through this technology collaboration, we’re looking to support broad work and machine learning across a variety of devices."

Conclusion

The partnership between Sony and AMD promises to bring more advanced AI-powered technology to the gaming industry. With Project Amethyst, the two companies aim to develop an ideal architecture for machine learning and create high-quality CNNs for game graphics. This collaboration is expected to have far-reaching implications, benefiting not just PlayStation hardware but also PCs, consoles, and cloud platforms.

As we await the results of this exciting project, one thing is clear: the future of gaming looks brighter than ever.