In an exclusive event, PS5 Pro Lead Architect Mark Cerny detailed the console's architecture and a new machine learning collaboration with AMD called "Codename Amethyst."
PS5 Pro Architecture Deep Dive
Cerny focused on the PS5 Pro's GPU and its key advancements, noting that after seven years, the technology is now ready to take full advantage of this console generation. He highlighted that it takes time for game creators to maximize a console's capabilities (with the exception of Sony's first-party studios).
The Big Three
Cerny outlined three core areas of focus for the PS5 Pro:
- Larger GPU: The PS5 Pro features a unique AMD architecture (RDNA2.X), a hybrid of RDNA 2 with aspects of RDNA 3 and later. It features 66% more Work Group Processors (WGP) than the base PS5.
- Advanced Ray Tracing: The additional WGPs focus on ray calculations, which should encourage wider adoption of ray tracing.
- AI Upscaling with PSSR: The console uses machine learning to render fewer pixels and then fill in the gaps with its neural network to improve resolution and frame rates.
“Sony made a point to touch on the machine learning or AI present in the PlayStation 5 Pro architecture. By utilizing ML, it’s possible to give games a graphical boost by having a game render fewer pixels and then using the PSSR neural network to fill in the gaps.”
Debunking Teraflop Claims
Cerny also clarified that the widely reported 335 Teraflop number was not an accurate representation of the console's real-world performance. Instead, he emphasized the 67% increase in "flops" and noted a 45% performance improvement over the base PS5.
“Mark commented that it would have been a nice bonus to have twice the ‘flops,’ but it wouldn’t double the real-world performance and would have instead led to something he dubbed ‘Flopflation.”
In an example, Cerny stated that a frame taking 16 milliseconds to render on the original PS5 could be done in just 11 milliseconds on the PS5 Pro and the saved time can be used for ray tracing.
'Codename Amethyst': Machine Learning Collaboration
Sony introduced a unique collaboration with AMD called “Codename Amethyst” which is a library for machine learning built on multiple RDNA generations. Cerny described it as an effort to create a neural network focused on gaming graphics.
Amethyst will be a collaborative effort where developers can draw from libraries and has the potential to direct the technology into unanticipated directions. This isn't a proprietary Sony technology, but is designed to bring broad machine learning across different devices, though it's unclear when this technology will be used in actual games.
