AMD demonstrates full support for DX12 at GDC

As many expected Microsoft showed off the next version of DirectX, DX12, at this years GDC. The new version offers the developers to program even close to the “metall” allowing them to squeeze out even more performance for their games. Among the companies pledging support for DX12 was not only NVidia but also AMD. This is of course not surprising since it would be odd for them not to support a DX-version but to some extend it is interesting to see them pledge full support and talking warmly about DX12 as it is doing stuff their own Mantle-API is supposed to do. Still, the next version of DX12 is not supposed to arrive until some time 2015 so there is plenty of time for the AMD Mantle API to gain acceptance and usage. 

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Mar. 2014 — AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced support for Microsoft® and its revamped graphics application programming interface, DirectX® 12, a new “console-like” version of the graphics API that has inspired PC gaming for nearly two decades.  During the Microsoft®-sponsored panel, DirectX: Evolving Microsoft’s Graphics Platform, AMD revealed that it will support DirectX® 12 on all AMD Radeon™ GPUs that feature the Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture.

AMD will support and collaborate with Microsoft® on the development of the generational advancement of the API, to continue to improve the experience for both developers and end users.

“AMD strongly believes in the benefits gamers and game developers can realize from lower-overhead API development,” said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, Graphics Business Unit, AMD. “With the Mantle API, AMD has shown the world our commitment to incredible performance, and we look forward to enabling the same performance gains by supporting the industry-standard DirectX® 12.”

DirectX® 12 will offer tantalizing opportunities for game developers to extract new performance from PC graphics cards with a newly-streamlined language that reduces API overhead. DirectX® 12 will be the first generational leap for the platform since DirectX® 11 made its debut in 2008.

 “AMD has always been an essential partner in the development of DirectX®,” said Anuj Gosalia, Development Manager, Windows Graphics, Microsoft®. “As we start the next chapter for our historic API, we look forward to continued great collaboration with AMD to bring gamers the best possible performance on AMD hardware.”

A DirectX® 12 support schedule for AMD Radeon™ GPUs will be published at a later date.

For more info about DX12 head over to the MSDN-blog.