Nvidia demonstrates RTX features on ARM platform

In April, Nvidia presented plans to combine its own graphics hardware ARM processors in collaboration with Mediatek. During the ongoing Game Developer Conference, Nvidia today demonstrates the fruits of the collaboration, in the form of RTX functionality on ARM-based platforms. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is shown, and The Bistro demo.

The test system is powered by the upcoming Mediatek Kompanio 1200 platform, a not yet launched platform for laptops. Kompanio 1200, or MT8195 as it is also called, is equipped with four stronger ARM Cortex A78 cores and four energy-efficient ARM Cortex A55 cores. The circuits are manufactured on TSMC’s 6 nm node.

In Wolfenstein: Youngblood is offered ray tracing in the form of reflections and to increase performance, the game also supports Nvidia’s AI upscaling DLSS. This marks the first game title with nativesupport for ARM that offers ray tracing and DLSS. Nvidia and ID Software believe that it paves the way for future game development when they demonstrate what is possible in Linux on an ARM-based platform. Epic Games also comments on the technology, but with a focus on more than just game development:

NVIDIA extending RTX support to Arm and Linux has the potential to benefit games and industries such as automotive, where leading manufacturers use Unreal Engine not only for design visualization but also for digital cockpits and infotainment.

– Nick Penwarden, Chief Engineer at Epic Games

In addition to Wolfenstein: Youngblood, the Bistro demo is also shown, which specifically aims to demonstrate two techniques: RTX Direct Illumination (RTXDI) and NVIDIA Optix AI-Acceleration Denoiser (NRD).

RTX technology already available today in Nvidia’s SDK for ARM:

• RTX Direct Illumination (RTXDI), which allows developers to add dynamic light to their gaming environments.

• NVIDIA Optix AI Acceleration Denoiser (NRD), which uses AI to render high-resolution images faster.

• RTX Memory Utility (RTXMU), which optimizes applications’ use of graphics memory.

RTX technology to be available in an upcoming update for Nvidia’s ARM SDK:

• RTX Global Illumination (RTXGI), which is used to recreate and mimic how light bounces and is reflected in real environments.

• Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), a combined anti-aliasing and scaling technology that uses AI to provide higher image refresh rates with relatively little loss in image quality.

Nvidia has not currently shared a date for when the SDK with DLSS and RTXGI will be available.

Are you hoping for a future where ARM becomes as obvious as x86 for gaming platforms?