Project Amethyst – What Does It Mean for PlayStation & AMD

The Project Amethyst announcement came from Mark Cerny back during the PS5 Pro Technical seminar video in December of 2024. The announcement is hidden away in the last few minutes of the seminar. But the ramifications of this partnership can be huge for the industry at large. 

Project Amethyst First Main Goal

Project Amethyst represents both companies coming together for one shared vision. As Mark Cerny states, there are two main goals for this collaborative effort. “The first goal is a more ideal architecture for machine learning. Something capable of generalized processing of neural networks, but particularly good at lightweight CNNs needed for game graphics. And something focused around achieving that ‘holy grail’ of fully fused networks”. 

He mentions that going forward, they are combining the lessons AMD has learned from their current and future work on the RDNA roadmap, with the lessons they (SIE) learn with PS5 Pro. This next point is crucial. 

Cerny notes that “Project Amethyst is not about proprietary technology for PlayStation. In fact, it is the exact opposite, through this technology collaboration, we are looking to support broad work in machine learning. Across a variety of devices”. How I read this is that Sony thinks Machine Learning in games, alongside any advancements in machine learning and AI, should be accessible to all game developers and AMD customers. Which is a pro-consumer move. 

Project Amethyst Second More Broader Goal

The second main goal for this group is, as Cerny states, “to develop in parallel a set of high-quality CNNs for game graphics. Both SIE and AMD will independently have the ability to draw from this collection of network architectures and training strategies. And these components should be key in increasing the richness of game graphics. As well as enabling more extensive use of ray tracing and path tracing”. And he ends this segment by saying this will be a multi-year collaboration. 

AMD and Sony’s work together is progressing quickly

This is all to set up the recent news. In a feature on Tom’s Guide, editor Alex Wawro got a chance to speak to both Mark Cerny (PlayStation lead architect), Jack Huynh, and Jeff Connell (AMD execs) to discuss their collaborative efforts. The revelation is that their work together is progressing fast. 

FSR 4 is a direct result of Project Amethyst and came out alongside the new flagship AMD graphics cards earlier this year.

Cerny also confirms that they are looking to implement the FSR algorithm in the PS5 Pro in 2026. Only time will tell if Cerny’s team decides to replace PSSR with FSR or if the PS5 Pro device will be able to use either algorithm. Or maybe let the developers decide which one works best for them. But there is one thing that is for certain. AMD and Sony are helping each other out, and it will only benefit games and game development in the long run. 

Collaboration is the Future

Any time I hear about collaboration efforts in the industry, it reminds me that the human spirit is what drives this industry forward. Building bridges and not walls is how we grow and get better. Mark states that “big chunks of RDNA 5 or whatever AMD ends up calling it, are coming out of engineering I am doing on the Project”. This gives speculation that AMD’s next round of GPUs will take more inspiration or even direct work from Cerny’s team. But as for PlayStation’s next generation of hardware, that is still a ways out. 

Xbox’s next set of hardware seemingly is going to have FSR4. Or some future algorithm for dedicated machine learning and hardware-based AI upscaling. So indirectly, PlayStation’s work with AMD on Project Amethyst will benefit PC gamers and developers, but also Xbox gamers and developers. Project Amethyst is a rising tide that aims to lift all boats. 

Do you have a PS5 Pro? Are you excited about the inevitable upgrade to PSSR? Write your comments below!