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AMD’s Frank Azor talks SAM, SmartShift, FSR & more

KitGuru was recently able to sit down with Frank Azor, Chief Architect of Gaming Solutions at AMD. In a wide-ranging discussion, we spoke about the unique position AMD is in as both a CPU and GPU manufacturer and how the company can use that to its advantage, with features like Smart Access Memory and SmartShift. We also get the latest update on the company's highly anticipated FidelityFX Super Resolution feature.

Timestamps

00:00 Start
00:37 What is Frank’s official title and what has he been responsible for at AMD?
02:38 How has Frank’s time at Alienware informed what he does at AMD?
06:20 Smart Access Memory – is it just resizable BAR, or is there more to the story?
10:28 Why can Smart Access Memory result in negative scaling?
13:40 Was Assassin’s Creed Valhalla developed with SAM in mind?
17:34 Why haven’t we seen a unified CPU+GPU strategy from AMD before?
20:21 SmartShift – what is it and how does it work?
25:21 Why haven’t we seen more SmartShift-enabled machines?
28:00 is Ryzen 5000 a turning point for AMD mobile CPUs?
30:28 What’s the latest with AMD Radeon software?
36:56 FidelityFX Super Resolution – latest update
38:46 Wrapping up

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KitGuru says: Thanks to Frank for taking the time to answer our questions – and here's hoping we will see FidelityFX Super Resolution in action soon!

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