Sony and AMD have jointly unveiled major GPU innovations under Project Amethyst, marking the most detailed public disclosure yet of the technologies powering the next-generation PlayStation. In a nine-minute presentation, Mark Cerny, Lead Architect of the PlayStation 5, and Jack Huynh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of AMD’s Computing and Graphics Group, showcased the companies’ advancements in graphics processing and AI acceleration.
Although the presentation avoided explicitly naming the PlayStation 6, the technical scope and timeline make it clear that these features are central to Sony’s next-generation console.
Neural Array: Unified AI Acceleration for GPUs #
The first key innovation is the Neural Array, a new structural enhancement within AMD’s RDNA architecture. It introduces a high-bandwidth, low-latency interconnect unifying all GPU compute units (CUs), enabling them to communicate directly without relying on traditional cache-based coordination.
This design, conceptually related to AMD’s Infinity Fabric, is optimized for parallel neural network inference and AI-driven rendering workloads. It allows dynamic scheduling across thousands of CUs, substantially improving performance for:
- Real-time AI super resolution
- Intelligent anti-aliasing and denoising
- AI-assisted image reconstruction
By embedding deep learning capabilities directly into the GPU’s compute fabric, the Neural Array is expected to provide a major uplift in rendering efficiency and visual fidelity.
Radiance Cores: Hardware-Accelerated Path Tracing #
Another headline feature is Radiance Cores, a dedicated hardware block designed to handle ray traversal and light interaction tasks.
Unlike previous architectures where ray tracing operations shared resources with shader cores, Radiance Cores operate independently, enabling higher-quality real-time ray tracing and path tracing at smoother frame rates.
For game developers, this means:
- More realistic global illumination
- Physically accurate reflections and soft shadows
- Greater visual depth and lighting realism—without overwhelming performance costs
In effect, Radiance Cores bridge the gap between console and desktop-class GPU rendering.
Universal Compression: Expanding Bandwidth Efficiency #
The third major innovation is Universal Compression, a new memory compression architecture that extends beyond textures and render targets to include nearly all data types.
Compared to the Delta Color Compression (DCC) system used in the PlayStation 5, Universal Compression provides broader data coverage and more efficient use of memory bandwidth. This translates into:
- Higher GPU throughput
- Lower VRAM bottlenecks
- Better performance in high-resolution rendering and AI-enhanced graphics
This improvement is crucial for supporting 8K rendering, real-time path tracing, and AI-driven post-processing within tight console power envelopes.
Toward a Fully AI-Integrated Rendering Pipeline #
Cerny emphasized that the goal of these innovations is to create a “complete AI rendering pipeline”—one that integrates neural acceleration, intelligent sampling, and physics-based light simulation across all stages of the graphics process.
Huynh added that AMD’s FSR Redstone and other next-generation machine learning upscaling algorithms will be deeply integrated into the new console platform, ensuring that AI is not an afterthought but a fundamental part of rendering architecture.
Beyond Consoles: Toward Handheld and Hybrid Platforms #
In a subtle but notable remark, Cerny hinted that Project Amethyst may extend beyond traditional consoles. He suggested that these technologies could also power handheld or hybrid gaming devices.
Given the growing popularity of portable high-performance systems like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, this aligns with current market trends and raises speculation that Sony may re-enter the portable gaming market.
RDNA 5 and the Broader GPU Ecosystem #
From AMD’s perspective, Project Amethyst will also shape its broader GPU roadmap. Huynh confirmed that the Neural Array, Radiance Cores, and Universal Compression will be integrated into the upcoming RDNA 5 architecture.
Since Cerny is directly involved in RDNA 5’s joint development, this architecture could debut across both console and PC products, bringing enhanced AI capability, power efficiency, and rendering realism to next-generation GPUs.
Toward the Next Generation of Immersive Gaming #
Although current-generation consoles such as the PS5 and PS5 Pro already support ray tracing, their real-time rendering still trails modern desktop GPUs. With Project Amethyst, that gap may narrow considerably.
Through AI-driven rendering, dedicated path tracing cores, and advanced memory compression, Sony’s next PlayStation platform aims to deliver unprecedented realism and responsiveness—potentially redefining what console gaming can achieve.
Cerny concluded that these technologies are expected to reach consumers “in a few years,” implying that the new PlayStation is still in the engineering phase. Whether it’s branded as the PlayStation 6 or evolves into a multi-form gaming ecosystem, its defining mission is clear:
To merge artificial intelligence and advanced graphics architecture into a new era of immersive, intelligent gaming.