The PlayStation 6 and Radeon RX 9000 GPUs are rumored to debut featuring AMD's UDNA architecture

HARDWARE NEWS manhkbrady - Nov 20, 2024, 2:00 PM

Based on a leak from insider Zhangzhonghao (as reported by Wccftech), it appears that AMD’s RDNA series of graphics architectures will conclude with RDNA 4. The future direction of AMD's GPU strategy is said to be focused on UDNA. Allegedly, AMD plans to utilize UDNA for their RX 9000 series GPUs and the upcoming Sony PlayStation 6 console.

According to this information, AMD does not intend to introduce a GPU architecture named RDNA 5. UDNA will take over as AMD’s new graphics architecture for both gaming and enterprise GPU sectors. This new approach merges RDNA and CDNA, establishing a unified future for AMD’s graphics solutions.

AMD has already acknowledged the existence of UDNA. While the company has not disclosed a specific timeline for UDNA's market introduction, it's been suggested that AMD's initial UDNA GPUs are set for mass production in the second quarter of 2026. This architecture is anticipated to streamline GPU development for AMD and provide both consumer and enterprise users with a largely unified feature set.

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Here’s what the leaker mentioned regarding UDNA:

There is no designation for RDNA 5; UDNA will serve as the successor to RDNA 4.
AMD’s MI400 and RX 9000 series GPUs are expected to incorporate UDNA. These GPUs will presumably feature a similar ALU design to GCN, which was AMD's previous unified GPU architecture.
Sony’s PlayStation 6 is reportedly set to utilize UDNA graphics. The console’s CPU is still pending a decision, with Zen 4 and Zen 5 being considered options. Additionally, Sony plans to equip their upcoming handheld device with AMD technology.
Microsoft is said to be deliberating between AMD and Qualcomm hardware for their next handheld device.
This information has been sourced from the supply chain. No specific specifications or performance metrics have been released.

UDNA represents a significant shift from AMD’s previous strategy with RDNA. Initially, AMD chose to separate its gaming and data center GPU architectures when it was pragmatic. Now that AMD has established a position in the data center sector, the lack of compatibility between its desktop and enterprise GPUs presents a challenge.

Reintegrating both GPU architectures should assist AMD in delivering more robust mainstream GPUs for workstations and productivity applications. It also consolidates AMD’s development resources into a singular graphics architecture. While this combined architecture strategy has proven effective for Nvidia, the question remains whether UDNA will be the advancement gamers are hoping for from AMD.

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