AMD Radeon Pro SSG flash-based memory to boost graphics performance

Interesting, though a bit unclear.
Is it just a special purpose SSD? How do main GPU learn of this SSD? Through software layer or some other form of connection?

 

I'd love to know if it requires special firmware to talk to the GPU over some variation of the X-fire protocol (maybe?) or if any PCIE SSD would work.

And while I'm speculating wildly, what are the chances of this tech coming to consumers e.g. partitioning a section of your SSD to act as additional VRAM , allowing nightmare mode on Doom for example?

 

AMD use GMI direct ( Remote direct access memory protocol ) and ofc HSA compliance ( full heterogenous memory access ( CPU or SSG in this case ).

This hardware cost 10'000 $ so, im not sure you want to spend this for Doom . ( and this respond too to the question, is it just a common PCIe SSD )

Ofc.. more infos coming in the next weeks ( dont forget this is SIGGRAPH, computing and profesionnal image convention, not a gaming convention )

 

I think you can do "Nightmare" settings on Doom reliably with "just" a 8 GB 300 or 400 series AMD GPU, 1 TB might be overkill.
(Not that I would mind if this tech were to ever get to desktop models but that's a ways off if it's even planned at all. )

(Being able to put an entire game into VRAM would be kinda fun too...)

 

Hopefully, todays game, dont require 1Tbytes of storage for been installed . ( When i see some gamers cry because it need 20Go..)

I wait the same comment of the Nvidia pascal Quadro launch with 24GB... Thats a lot of Vram !!!!! ( sorry, couldnt resist )

 

Blue Theme hah? Interesting...


About the card, well nice technology from amd once again.

 

For those who did not get it as it seems bit confusing for many.

This is Graphics card with additional M.2 slot on board to increase available data storage for purpose of caching/editing.

 

Thanks for explaining it, Fox.

 

Ah, now I get it, I thought it was indeed running via PCIe lanes, not onboard with the GPU itself.

 

Good idea for 4K/8K editing alright.

So the GPU will have access to a large buffer with copy of the timeline, but the thing I can't understand is, won't the CPU also need the timeline buffer too most of the time? So will there be a big overhead constantly keeping both the main memory (CPU) and this graphics card buffer (GPU) in sync with each other?

I mean if the CPU does some sort of operation on the frames, then the entire SSD on this card will have to be rewritten with updated data from main memory?

Or can the software be written so there is only a single copy of the timeline framebuffer in the GPU/SSD card framebuffer only, and the CPU can modify this also?

 

8k/90+ frames.. well damn

 

Innovation

AMD Unveils Radeon Solid State Storage Architecture And 1TB Radeon Pro SSG For Massive Pro Graphics

Raw 8K video, FPS=17, Rate=848 MB/s
vs
Raw 8K video, FPS=92, Rate=4590 MB/s

 

Anandtech is reporting these as Polaris based, for $10,000?

The M.2 slot idea is kind of cool but it's not much different then just having your working files on a M.2 drive on the motherboard.

 

"Next gen memory"?

 

not even close

 

Damn, I wish I had thought of it that way. You're right.

 

Proof of Concept waiting on xpoint memory to become available?

 

Sorry I just could not help my self

 

Maybe. Currently it's limited to 8x PCI-E -- so technically you could achieve better throughput by just raiding a bunch of SSD's together. AMD's system should technically have a latency advantage, which I guess helps with things like the video scrubbing they were showing off. Although it's unknown how much it helps because who knows what system they were comparing it too.