AMD appears to be using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for FidelityFX Super Resolution just as Nvidia does for its Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) image upscaling technology.
According to a new patent published earlier today, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution “includes a variety of conventional neural network architectures which perform super-resolution by upscaling images using linear functions.”
The filing clarifies that “other” neural network architectures as well as super-resolution techniques on the market generally do not “incorporate important aspects of the original image, resulting in lost color and lost detail information.” FidelityFX Super Resolution however is able to “preserve the original information of the image while upscaling the image and improving fidelity.”
The processor is configured to receive an input image having a first resolution, generate linear down-sampled versions of the input image by down-sampling the input image via a linear upscaling network and generate non-linear down-sampled versions of the input image by down-sampling the input image via a non-linear upscaling network.
The processor is also configured to convert the down-sampled versions of the input image into pixels of an output image having a second resolution higher than the first resolution and provide the output image for display
AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution was always taken as an answer to Nvidia DLSS. AMD was however assumed to be taking a different approach and which did not involve the use of artificial intelligence for image upscaling. The patent from earlier today puts those concerns to rest ahead of a probable announcement (and demonstration) by AMD in the coming months.
Technologies like the existing DLSS and upcoming FidelityFX Super Resolution help keep current-generation hardware from being outdated. While a game for example may be rendering at 1080p on consoles, image reconstruction can upscale that same game to 1440p or even higher resolutions on the fly.
The final capabilities though depend on a lot of factors and a comparison with Nvidia DLSS will be better understood when AMD finally pulls the curtains off FidelityFX Super Resolution.
