PS6 will likely use AMD technology

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  • Sony has announced Amethyst, a new long-term collaboration project with AMD that seeks to advance machine learning for gaming graphics and other applications.
  • This collaboration suggests that the PS6 will utilize AMD technology.
  • A report from September 2024 claimed that Sony had already finalized a deal for AMD to produce PS6 APUs.



Sony has announced an ambitious new partnership. PS6 It utilizes AMD technology. The collaboration itself is intended to foster innovation in machine learning for gaming graphics and other applications, the benefits of which could potentially reach beyond PlayStation. ecosystem.

Sony and AMD have worked closely together since the PS4 began development in the late 2000s. The first result of this collaboration was the 28nm accelerated processing unit (APU) used in Sony's 8th generation console. The success of the PS4 reportedly helped save AMD from bankruptcy and allowed Sony to bounce back from the PS3, which was its least successful home console at the time. The two companies have collaborated once again on the PS5, which uses a semi-custom APU designed by AMD.


PS6 controller with colorful background

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All PS6 rumors so far

Rumors about the PS6 have increased in frequency since the PS5 Pro was revealed, with plenty of details about pricing, models, and features outlined.

As PlayStation designer Mark Cerny confirmed, Sony and AMD recently decided to deepen their relationship even further. At the PS5 Pro technical seminar held at Sony Interactive Entertainment HQ in San Mateo on December 18, Cerny announced a new partnership between Sony and AMD called Amethyst. This project has two goals: The first is the “democratization” of machine learning through the development of “a more ideal architecture for ML.” Second, AMD and Sony are aiming to develop a new Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for graphics rendering. “These components should be key to increasing the richness of game graphics and enabling more widespread use of ray tracing and path tracing,” Cerny said on the CNN topic.



Sony and AMD's Project Amethyst appears to be coming to PS6.

PlayStation designers have categorized Amethyst as a long-term collaboration, suggesting that the technology resulting from this plan is unlikely to see the light of day in the near future. Amethyst is therefore more likely to lead to PS6 technology. Reading between the two lines, it's highly unlikely that Sony would engage in such high-level research and development with AMD if they weren't planning on using AMD-made hardware for the PS6. This theory is consistent with a September 2024 report that claimed Sony had already finalized a deal for AMD to design and manufacture PlayStation 6 APUs.

Project Amethyst Goals

  1. Create “a more ideal architecture for machine learning” to democratize the field of ML and provide new tools to developers.
  2. Create convolutional neural networks that improve game graphics and facilitate the use of ray and path tracing.

And while Amethyst uses AMD technology to boost the PS6's potential, Cerny insists the project is “not about PlayStation's proprietary technology.” Instead, the goal of this initiative is to promote machine learning applications “across a variety of devices.” So Sony's machine learning research and development efforts could eventually generate benefits beyond the PlayStation ecosystem.


In February 2024, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki said that the PS5 had already entered the “second half” of its life cycle. Seeing as the 9th generation consoles hit the market in late 2020, we can see that the PS6 is planned to be released in 2028 at the latest.

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