Sony and AMD detail PS6 Project Amethyst: AI rendering and ray tracing

Sony and AMD have unveiled the first details about technologies headed for the next generation of PlayStation. In a joint video, AMD senior vice president Jack Huyn and PS5 chief architect Mark Cerny outlined developments under the Project Amethyst initiative, which appears to be tied to a future PlayStation 6. The spotlight is on upgraded rendering powered by AI and advanced ray tracing.

One of the core elements is Neural Arrays, a new system that links all GPU compute units into a single network, allowing large portions of an image to be processed in one sweep. The approach is designed to accelerate AI algorithms and make rendering more efficient. It recalls AMD’s Infinity Fabric but is tailored specifically to boost AI-driven graphics.

Another major addition is Radiance Cores—specialized blocks for ray tracing that offload part of the rendering workload from shader cores. The result is the prospect of full-fledged real-time path tracing, a capability previously seen only on top-tier PC graphics cards. The package is rounded out by Universal Compression, a system that can compress any type of data to improve memory performance.

Taken together, these upgrades aim to bring the next PlayStation up to the level of modern PCs in both visual fidelity and performance. Beyond consoles, AMD plans to bring technologies like Radiance Cores and Neural Arrays to future graphics cards as well. Cerny said the announcement of the “future console” is still several years away, yet Project Amethyst already signals a clear intent: PlayStation 6 is being positioned as a meaningful leap forward for ray-traced and AI-assisted games.