AMD’s David McAfee Reflects on 25 Years of Radeon Graphics Innovation

Celebrating 25 Years of Radeon Innovation

This month marks a pretty exciting time for us at AMD—we’re toasting to two major milestones in the Radeon saga! First up, we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of Radeon, a journey that kicked off back in 2000 with the launch of the ATI Radeon DDR card. Can you believe it? Back then, having 32 MB of VRAM and a clock speed of 143 MHz was the stuff of dreams. Those specs might seem like ancient history now, but they were the foundation for the gaming adventures that many of us embarked on. Fast forward to today, and we’re talking about 24 GB of memory, multi-GHz clocks, and nearly 60 billion transistors in our RDNA 3 cards. It’s a wild transformation, isn’t it?

But hold on—this isn’t just a look back; we’re also stepping boldly into the future. We’re thrilled to introduce our latest products: the RDNA 4-based Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070, available starting today. This isn’t just another product launch; it’s a commitment to you, our passionate gaming community. We get it—when you’re on the hunt for your next GPU, you want raw performance to dominate your favorite games, tech that’s ready for the next wave of blockbusters, and value that makes sense for your wallet. That’s exactly what RDNA 4 brings to the table.

Putting Gamers First with RDNA 4

Our mission with RDNA 4 wasn’t about chasing after some elite crown that only a few can wear. Nope, we aimed to keep you—the heart of gaming—front and center. We crafted these cards to deliver exceptional power for the setups that most gamers are actually using. Compared to our previous generation, RDNA 4 offers a significant boost in raster performance, resulting in crisper and smoother visuals. And let’s not forget about Ray Tracing—our throughput has doubled, allowing you to enjoy lifelike lighting and reflections without any compromises.

Oh, and here’s where it gets really exciting: we’ve achieved an 8x increase in machine learning performance. What does that mean for you? It means we’re unlocking some amazing new features, like FSR 4—our latest leap in machine learning-based upscaling. Integrated deeply into game engines, FSR 4 lets you render at 1080p and scale up to 4K, delivering frame rates that are 3x to 4x higher while maintaining near-native quality. Imagine cranking up the settings on your favorite games and still enjoying buttery-smooth FPS—all while keeping those gorgeous details intact. We’re launching with over 30 titles that support FSR 4, and we’re aiming for more than 75 by year’s end. Exciting, right?

Your Ticket to Gaming Greatness

We designed the Radeon RX 9070 XT (starting at $599) and RX 9070 (starting at $549) to hit that sweet spot. Each card comes packed with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, next-level ray tracing capabilities, and fantastic performance-per-dollar. These aren’t just Graphics Cards; they’re your gateway to conquering battlegrounds, whether you’re diving into competitive esports or exploring cinematic RPGs—all without emptying your wallet.

As we reflect on these incredible 25 years, we’re genuinely humbled by how far gaming has come—and by the role you’ve played in shaping it. RDNA 4 is our way of saying thank you: a GPU lineup designed to power your victories, secure your future gaming sessions, and fit comfortably within your budget. Our engineers have poured their heart and soul into this moment, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll do with it.

Here’s to the next 25 years of Radeon—and to every clutch moment, epic RAID, and immersive story we’ll share along the way. Cheers!

Background Information

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About AMD:

AMD, a large player in the semiconductor industry is known for its powerful processors and graphic solutions, AMD has consistently pushed the boundaries of performance, efficiency, and user experience. With a customer-centric approach, the company has cultivated a reputation for delivering high-performance solutions that cater to the needs of gamers, professionals, and general users. AMD's Ryzen series of processors have redefined the landscape of desktop and laptop computing, offering impressive multi-core performance and competitive pricing that has challenged the dominance of its competitors. Complementing its processor expertise, AMD's Radeon graphics cards have also earned accolades for their efficiency and exceptional graphical capabilities, making them a favored choice among gamers and content creators. The company's commitment to innovation and technology continues to shape the client computing landscape, providing users with powerful tools to fuel their digital endeavors.

  

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Technology Explained

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FSR: AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) is a type of rendering technique that looks to boost framerates in games and enable quality high-resolution gaming. It is an software upscaling technology, designed to improve the performance of games without loss of image quality and graphical detail. It works by rendering frames at a lower resolution and then using an open-source spatial upscaling algorithm to make the game look as though it's running at a higher resolution13. It is different from Nvidia's DLSS, which uses machine learning and temporal upscaling to achieve similar results. FSR is part of AMD's FidelityFX image toolkit and does not require specific training or special-purpose logic within the GPU. AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) scales across a broad spectrum of new and older products, including integrated graphics, and is optimized for AMD RDNA and AMD RDNA 2 architecture-based Radeon RX 6000 and RX 5000 Series graphics cards. FSR is also supported on select NVIDIA graphics cards.

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GDDR6: GDDR6 stands for Graphics Double Data Rate 6th generation memory. It is a high performance memory used in graphics cards and graphics processing units (GPUs), specifically targeting gaming, AI and deep learning-related applications. GDDR6 achieves higher bandwidth than previous generations, allowing faster and smoother gaming experience for users. It is also more power efficient, resulting in lower energy consumption overall. The improved power efficiency makes it adaptable to today's needs of thinner laptops and ultra-high definition gaming laptops. Additionally, GDDR6 is used in storage solutions and advanced data center applications to help streamline large amounts of data at lightning-fast speeds.

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GPU: GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit and is a specialized type of processor designed to handle graphics-intensive tasks. It is used in the computer industry to render images, videos, and 3D graphics. GPUs are used in gaming consoles, PCs, and mobile devices to provide a smooth and immersive gaming experience. They are also used in the medical field to create 3D models of organs and tissues, and in the automotive industry to create virtual prototypes of cars. GPUs are also used in the field of artificial intelligence to process large amounts of data and create complex models. GPUs are becoming increasingly important in the computer industry as they are able to process large amounts of data quickly and efficiently.

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Radeon: AMD Radeon, a product line by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), consists of graphics processing units (GPUs) recognized for their strong performance in gaming, content creation, and professional applications. Powered by innovative technologies like the RDNA architecture, Radeon GPUs deliver efficient and powerful graphics processing. The brand also supports features like FreeSync, enhancing visual fluidity and reducing screen tearing during gaming. Moreover, AMD Radeon GPUs embrace real-time ray tracing for heightened realism in lighting and reflections. With a balance between price and performance, Radeon competes with NVIDIA's GeForce graphics cards and remains a popular choice for a wide range of users.

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RAID: RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a technology used in the computer industry to increase the performance, reliability, and storage capacity of computer systems. It works by combining multiple hard drives into a single logical unit, allowing them to be accessed as if they were a single drive. This allows for faster data access, as multiple drives can be accessed simultaneously, and for increased reliability, as data can be stored redundantly across multiple drives. RAID is commonly used in servers, workstations, and other high-performance computing systems, as well as in consumer-level storage solutions such as NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices.

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Ray Tracing: Ray tracing is an advanced rendering technique used in computer graphics to simulate the way light interacts with objects in a virtual environment. It traces the path of light rays as they travel through a scene, calculating how they interact with surfaces, materials, and lighting sources. By simulating the complex behaviors of light, ray tracing produces highly realistic and accurate visual effects, including lifelike reflections, shadows, and refractions. This technology enhances the overall visual quality of images and animations by accurately replicating how light behaves in the real world, resulting in a more immersive and visually stunning digital experience.

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RDNA: RDNA (Radeon DNA) is a graphics architecture developed by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) for its Radeon series of graphics cards. It's designed to deliver improved performance, power efficiency, and advanced features for gaming and graphics-intensive applications. RDNA introduces a new compute unit design that enhances the efficiency of processing tasks, resulting in better performance per watt compared to its predecessor, GCN (Graphics Core Next). RDNA also introduces hardware-based ray tracing capabilities, allowing for more realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections in supported games. With its scalable design, RDNA architecture addresses the demands of modern gaming while aiming to provide a more immersive and visually impressive experience.

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VRAM: VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) is a type of computer memory used in graphics cards to store image data. It is a high-speed memory that is used to store the image data that is sent to the monitor. It is used in the computer industry to improve the performance of graphics cards and to provide faster access to the image data. VRAM is also used in gaming consoles to provide a more immersive gaming experience. It is also used in virtual reality applications to provide a more realistic experience. VRAM is an important component of the computer industry and is used in many applications.

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