AMD RDNA2 Graphics Architecture Detailed, Offers +50%

With its 7 nm RDNA structure that debuted in July 2019, AMD achieved a virtually 50% achieve in efficiency/Watt over the earlier “Vega” structure. At its 2020 Financial Analyst Day occasion, AMD made a giant disclosure: that its upcoming RDNA2 structure will provide an analogous 50% efficiency/Watt soar over RDNA. The new RDNA2 graphics structure is anticipated to leverage 7 nm+ (7 nm EUV), which provides as much as 18% transistor-density enhance over 7 nm DUV, amongst different process-level enhancements. AMD might faucet into this to extend price-performance by serving up extra compute models at current price-points, working at larger clock speeds.

AMD has two key design objectives with RDNA2 that helps it shut the feature-set hole with NVIDIA: real-time ray-tracing, and variable-rate shading, each of which have been standardized by Microsoft beneath DirectX 12 DXR and VRS APIs. AMD introduced that RDNA2 will characteristic devoted ray-tracing {hardware} on die. On the software program facet, the {hardware} will leverage industry-standard DXR 1.1 API. The firm is supplying RDNA2 to next-generation sport console producers comparable to Sony and Microsoft, so it is extremely doubtless that AMD’s strategy to standardized ray-tracing could have extra takers than NVIDIA’s RTX ecosystem that tops up DXR feature-sets with its personal RTX feature-set.

Variable-rate shading is one other key characteristic that has been lacking on AMD GPUs. The characteristic permits a graphics software to use totally different charges of shading element to totally different areas of the 3D scene being rendered, to preserve system assets. NVIDIA and Intel already implement VRS tier-1 standardized by Microsoft, and NVIDIA “Turing” goes a step additional in supporting even VRS tier-2. AMD did not element its VRS tier help.

AMD hopes to deploy RDNA2 on every part from desktop discrete shopper graphics, to skilled graphics for creators, to cell (pocket book/pill) graphics, and lastly cloud graphics (for cloud-based gaming platforms comparable to Stadia). Its greatest takers, nevertheless, would be the next-generation Xbox and PlayStation sport consoles, who may even shepherd sport builders towards standardized ray-tracing and VRS implementations.

AMD additionally briefly touched upon the next-generation RDNA3 graphics structure with out revealing any options. All we learn about RDNA3 for now, is that it’s going to leverage a course of node extra superior than 7 nm (doubtless 6 nm or 5 nm, AMD will not say); and that it’s going to come out a while between 2021 and 2022. RDNA2 will extensively energy AMD shopper graphics merchandise over the subsequent 5-6 calendar quarters, a minimum of.