AMD's FSR Redstone uses machine learning to achieve parity with Nvidia DLSS

AMD FSR Redstone
(Image credit: Future)

As part of its Computex 2025 announcements, AMD has given gamers a sneak peek at the company's major update for its FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) technology. Dubbed FSR Redstone, the upcoming installment will bring many new features to match rival Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS).

FSR 4, the latest iteration of the technology, debuted a few months ago with the launch of the Radeon RX 9700 series, specifically the Radeon RX 9070 and Radeon RX 9070 XT.

While the initial batch of supported titles was limited to around 30 games, AMD expects to double that number by June 5, aligning with the Radeon RX 9060 XT launch. Nonetheless, AMD is already plotting ahead and preparing FSR Redstone as the next substantial upgrade for FSR.

Although AMD did not provide specific details, the chipmaker emphasized three features to be included in FSR Redstone: neural radiance caching, machine learning ray regeneration, and machine learning frame generation. Some of these features might sound familiar, as they are already part of the Nvidia DLSS suite.

AMD states that neural radiance caching effectively learns how light reflects within a scene. The objective is to predict and store indirect lighting assets in a cache, which can subsequently be used to generate heaps of other rays. Logically, this helps accelerate path tracing.

Ray regeneration is equivalent to Nvidia's ray reconstruction. This feature leverages a trained neural network to regenerate pixels that couldn't be accurately traced. Thanks to machine learning, it can predict and filter grainy noise in real time.

With FSR Redstone, AMD is enhancing its super resolution feature through the utilization of an improved machine learning model, designed to predict and reconstruct lower resolution frames in order to optimize performance. The upscaling occurs in real time.

Like Nvidia DLSS, AMD FSR also offers gamers frame generation. However, FSR had utilized an AI-free approach up until now. The next-generation FSR Redstone will tap machine learning for frame generation, which should improve performance and quality.

AMD has not committed to a specific date for FSR Redstone's prime debut, only indicating a release in the latter half of this year. FSR Redstone will launch with native compatibility for RDNA 4-powered graphics cards. Sadly, AMD did not specify whether it will be backward compatible with the previous generations of RDNA graphics cards. Since FSR 4 is exclusive to RDNA 4, FSR Redstone support for older-generation AMD Radeon graphics cards looks even bleak.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.

TOPICS
Zhiye Liu
News Editor and Memory Reviewer

Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

  • Kindaian
    Nvidia achieves performance by using unrivaled amounts of power.
    Reply
  • rluker5
    This article is pretty quiet on XeSS.
    Also redstone got me thinking Minecraft.
    Reply
  • John Nemesh
    Kindaian said:
    Nvidia achieves performance by using unrivaled amounts of power.
    Hey dude, leave some Kool-aid for the rest of us! (said no one)

    Take off your Nvidia jersey and look at the facts...Nvidia only has "unrivaled power" on 2 models of graphics cards...ones priced too high for most of their customers, and even the ones who CAN afford their ridiculous MSRPs can't actually buy the cards at that price!

    In EVERY OTHER PRICE bracket, AMD outperforms Nvidia. Oh, and their drivers are more stable and less likely to crash, too!
    Reply
  • Heiro78
    John Nemesh said:
    Hey dude, leave some Kool-aid for the rest of us! (said no one)

    Take off your Nvidia jersey and look at the facts...Nvidia only has "unrivaled power" on 2 models of graphics cards...ones priced too high for most of their customers, and even the ones who CAN afford their ridiculous MSRPs can't actually buy the cards at that price!

    In EVERY OTHER PRICE bracket, AMD outperforms Nvidia. Oh, and their drivers are more stable and less likely to crash, too!
    I took their comments more to be about power consumption.

    Also, I wish AMD had just focused on hardware instead of frame interpolation and generation tech. I can imagine a world where the AMD 7000 series just provided an increase in base frames. And didn't rely on FSR at all.
    Reply
  • Heat_Fan89
    Is FSR4 coming to the 7900XT and 7900XTX? I'm tempted to go with the $699 7900XT on Amazon.
    Reply
  • Heat_Fan89
    John Nemesh said:
    Hey dude, leave some Kool-aid for the rest of us! (said no one)

    Take off your Nvidia jersey and look at the facts...Nvidia only has "unrivaled power" on 2 models of graphics cards...ones priced too high for most of their customers, and even the ones who CAN afford their ridiculous MSRPs can't actually buy the cards at that price!

    In EVERY OTHER PRICE bracket, AMD outperforms Nvidia. Oh, and their drivers are more stable and less likely to crash, too!
    I'm neither pro AMD or Nvidia so take this FWIW. I have an ASUS TUF 5080 and I have had no issues with it, including it's drivers. The GPU and drivers have both been very stable and I always use the latest drivers. Maybe I got lucky with both hardware and drivers.

    The only issue I have is with FG where I get vertical screen tearing in MSFS 2024. Since I can achieve 60FPS without it, I don't really have a need to use it.
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    Heat_Fan89 said:
    Is FSR4 coming to the 7900XT and 7900XTX? I'm tempted to go with the $699 7900XT on Amazon.
    I don't think they will release these new tech for old gpus. These new shine tech it's the way they force you to newselling point.
    Reply
  • Heiro78
    Heat_Fan89 said:
    Is FSR4 coming to the 7900XT and 7900XTX? I'm tempted to go with the $699 7900XT on Amazon.
    No, AMD announced that the 9000 series has something special to it that allows for FS4
    Reply
  • ak47jar3d
    I am happy with FSR4. Its pretty difficult to tell the difference between dlss3/dlls4 and FSR4 based on the limited examples i have seen. Maybe I am not the biggest pixel peeper?
    Reply