AMD is reportedly ditching its future RDNA 5 graphics architecture in favour of “unified” UDNA tech, which could bring AI capabilities to gaming GPUs ASAP. According to a recent leak on Chiphell (via PC Guide), AMD is readying a new family of GPUs based on the UDNA technology, derived from CDNA and GCN.
The news comes as a surprise, considering that RDNA 4 is set to release early in the new year, and gamers had expected it to be the next-generation architecture. However, AMD’s decision to unify its graphics architectures may be aimed at adding AI capabilities to its gaming GPUs sooner rather than later.
In September, AMD announced plans to unify its RDNA and CDNA technologies into a single “UDNA” architecture, which was expected to take some time to materialize in the gaming market. Now, it seems that UDNA will be used for both enterprise, datacenter, and AI GPUs, as well as those designed for gaming.
While some may view this move as a step backward, it’s essential to note that AMD is focusing on shared architecture elements between its gaming and AI GPUs, specifically the shader ALUs and matrix cores. These cores are crucial for AI acceleration and will be present in future UDNA-based GPUs.
The benefits of UDNA for gamers include added AI smarts, which may enhance performance and capabilities such as FSR upscaling tech. With this new approach, AMD is poised to leapfrog Nvidia’s current lead in AI-enhanced graphics technologies.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/amd-rumoured-to-be-ditching-future-rdna-5-graphics-architecture-in-favour-of-unified-udna-tech-in-a-possible-effort-to-bring-ai-smarts-to-gaming-asap