Nvidia CEO: “We Can't Do Computer Graphics Without Artificial Intelligence”

In context: Advanced technologies such as Nvidia's DLSS can enhance low-resolution images and improve image quality while achieving higher frame rates. However, some gamers worry that this technology could become a requirement for better performance—a valid fear, even though only a few games currently list system requirements that include upscaling. As the industry continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how developers address these concerns.

AI, in its current primitive form, is already benefiting a wide range of industries, from healthcare to energy to climate forecasting, to name just a few. But when asked at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + technology conference in San Francisco last week which use case for AI most excited him, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang responded that it was computer graphics.

He said, without artificial intelligence we can no longer do computer graphics. “We count one pixel, we estimate the other 32. I mean, it's incredible… and so we hallucinate, if you will, the other 32, and it looks temporally stable, it looks photorealistic, and the image quality is incredible, the performance is incredible. .”

Jensen is doubling down on observations that Nvidia and other tech executives have made about AI-based upscaling in PC gaming, arguing that it's a natural evolution in graphics technology, similar to past innovations like anti-aliasing or tessellation.

These executives also see AI-based upscaling as increasingly necessary. Graphics technology has the potential to become more resource-intensive, and hardware-based AI upscaling techniques can help achieve playable frame rates on systems ranging from handhelds and gaming consoles to high-end desktop machines.

It's no surprise that Nvidia is pushing for this future, as its own DLSS upscaling technology is one of the most prominent examples of AI-based upscaling in gaming. AI models are trained on high-quality images to reconstruct details and produce sharp, clean results.

Another competing upscaling technology is Intel's XeSS, which provides a 2x performance boost in some games, delivering higher frame rates without significantly sacrificing image quality (your mileage will vary, of course). XeSS works much like Nvidia's DLSS, with the key difference being that Intel XeSS supports graphics cards from multiple vendors, while DLSS is limited to Nvidia graphics cards.

But this trend worries some gamers who fear technology will become essential to good performance. Remnant II sets what some consider a dangerous precedent by listing system requirements that assume players are using upscaling. It stands out for explicitly mentioning DLSS in its specs, but many modern game AI upscaling technologies are designed with the technology in mind, even if not included in the system requirements.

This concern has some merit, but despite reservations, AI-based upscaling seems poised to become a significant trend in computer graphics, whether we like it or not.

AMD's upscaling technology, known as FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), currently uses a combination of spatial and temporal upscaling, anti-aliasing, and other techniques to improve image quality from low-resolution inputs. However, AMD's senior vice president of computing and graphics, Jack Huynh, recently announced that AI will be included in the upcoming FSR 4.0 – potentially the same implementation expected to debut in the PlayStation 5 Pro.

Microsoft also introduced their own feature called Auto Super Resolution, which uses AI to upscale games in real-time. It requires specific hardware, including at least 40 TOPS of processing power with an NPU. Currently, it's limited to certain games available through the Xbox app for Windows PCs, with supported titles including Borderlands 3, Control, God of War, and The Witcher 3.