Samsung will continue to use the AMD RDNA architectures on Exynos

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At the beginning of this year, Samsung launched the highly anticipated Exynos 2200, which was manufactured using Samsung’s 4nm EUV process and equipped with the Samsung Xclipse graphics processing unit based on the AMD RDNA 2 architecture, as well as Arm-based CPU cores and an upgraded NPU (Neural Processing Unit). Its GPU is the product of the first cooperation between Samsung and AMD, based on the RDNA 2 architecture, and inherits advanced graphics functions such as hardware-accelerated ray tracing and variable rate shading (VRS) on the PC platform.
Samsung Exynos RDNA architectures

Image: Samsung

While the Exynos 2200 ended up on the Galaxy S22 series of smartphones, the Exynos 2200 didn’t live up to expectations in terms of graphics performance. The performance of the Xclipse graphics processing unit is rumored to be affected by power consumption and heat generation. Even if the performance of the Exynos 2200 is not so ideal, Samsung officials have confirmed that AMD’s RDNA series architecture will still be used on the SoC in the future to realize other functions under its graphics framework.

Samsung collaborated with AMD to develop a power efficient, console-level GPU for mobile devices. AMD’s GPUs are designed specifically for PCs or consoles, meaning they had to be redesigned to fit the mobile environment. Specifically, it was redesigned to accommodate the memory bandwidth of mobile, which is relatively limited, in addition to managing heat dissipation. “Based on our rich knowledge of low-power design, acquired from developing mobile SoCs, we were able to successfully achieve power efficiency and miniaturization in the first-generation product,” said Vice President Sungboem Park, a mobile processor design expert who oversees GPU development. “We focused heavily on minimizing heat, because mobile devices do not have fans like gaming consoles, while also maintaining performance so that the frames do not lag.”

Because the Xclipse graphics processing unit used in the Exynos 2200 did not play a real role, Samsung needed to expand its cooperation with Qualcomm to make up for the lack of some product lines.

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