Sony and AMD Reveal Next-Gen PlayStation Graphics Project Amethyst

On Thursday, during IGN’s Future of Play presentation, Sony and AMD talked about their ongoing collaboration under Project Amethyst. The partnership focuses on advancing graphics and processing technologies for upcoming PlayStation consoles. 

The discussion featured Mark Cerny, lead architect of the PS5 and PS5 Pro, and Jack Huynh, AMD’s SVP and GM of the Computing and Graphics Group, who highlighted machine learning integration, ray tracing, and GPU performance improvements.

Sony and AMD Drive Next-Gen PlayStation Graphics

The video showcased technologies improving real-time physics, lighting, and asset streaming. Neural acceleration with traditional rasterization enhances visuals, reduces latency, and enables GPU neural arrays to handle larger machine learning workloads efficiently.

Ray tracing advancements use Radiance Cores to offload tasks from shader cores, boosting frame rates, visual detail, and immersion. Paired with neuro radiance caching, the system streamlines path tracing and renders complex lighting in real time.

Universal Compression reduces bandwidth by compressing all GPU-bound data, not just textures, enabling higher frame rates, lower power use, and efficient machine learning rendering when combined with neural arrays and Radiance Cores.

A Sony spokesperson said, “Gaming hardware today is about balancing raw performance with smarter workload handling. Our joint effort with AMD allows us to explore how emerging compute models can serve developers and players alike.”

The AMD-Sony collaboration builds on years of joint development, with AMD supplying CPU and GPU technology for multiple PlayStation generations. Analysts note that neural rendering, improved frame rates, and new compression methods will become critical as developers push current hardware limits.