What you need to know
- Arm revealed the work put into empowering its new Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU, which is said to bring "desktop-class" graphics to phones.
- Arm states it's leaning on an AI-native Mali GPU with a Neural Accelerator and more to handle demanding graphics, while maintaining smooth frame rates for mobile gamers.
- Qualcomm also teased its upcoming Adreno GPU for the next Snapdragon chips, stating it will also lean on AI to help with graphics rendering and frame rate generation.
Arm is highlighting what mobile users can expect from its next GPU. It states everything it's worked to implement is due to growing user demands for "richer visuals" and better frame rates.
Arm revealed the Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU in a newsroom post this week. According to its data, Arm says mobile users want a few things: "They want richer visuals, smoother frame rates, and increasingly immersive experiences." However, there are certain challenges it reportedly needs to overcome to help consumers (and developers, too). The Mali G2-Ultra NX is purportedly the answer to everyone's problems.
Arm states it built the GPU for "neural graphics." This is an AI-native Mali GPU—its first-ever—which brings the Neural Accelerator into shader cores. This reportedly aids better teamwork between the graphics and computing workloads. What's more, performance is said to increase. Arm states its Neural Accelerator helps the GPU "handle increasingly demanding scenes more efficiently." This would give developers creating more pleasing visuals more room without the cost of reduced frame rates.
Arm's third-generation ray tracing technology will also assist the graphics department. The Mali G2-Ultra NX support for this ray tracing software will facilitate advancements in shadows, complex lighting, reflections, and more. At a hardware level, Arm states devices with Opacity Micromaps support can produce "richer foliage, more detailed fabrics, layered surfaces, and more."
Better graphics are nothing without smooth frame rates. Arm says "architectural improvements" in the GPU can support longer gaming sessions at "up to" 120FPS.
AI comes to the aid of mobile graphics?
We've been hearing about AI's involvement with mobile phone graphics since earlier this month. Qualcomm highlighted its Adreno "Neural Fusion" GPU, stating that it will lean on AI to upgrade mobile gaming graphics. The chip reportedly utilizes AI-driven rendering tech. This new tech will put better gaming resolution and frame generation in the graphics pipeline.
Console-like graphics were a major detail for Qualcomm in that announcement. The company claims its new chip, coupled with AI, will reduce the work the chip needs to do to produce the graphics mobile users have been asking for. All of this is en route to the Dual 8 Elites from Qualcomm during the Snapdragon Summit from September 22-24.
