AMD and Samsung are collaborating on Exynos mobile chips capable of ray-tracing

Samsung and AMD have been working together on a GPU since 2019 and today we’re getting another major update on the partnership. As part of its Computex keynote, AMD revealed that the Exynos mobile system-on-chip will feature RDNA 2 graphics technology that should deliver a significant upgrade to flagship mobile devices. Details are currently scarce, but we do know that the next-gen mobile GPU will support ray tracing and variable rate shading. 

AMD is leaving it to Samsung to share more info about the chip and the products it will be used in. “The next place you’ll find RDNA 2 will be the high-performance mobile phone market,” AMD CEO Lisa Su said on stage at Computex Taipei. “AMD has partnered with industry leader Samsung for several years to accelerate graphics innovation in the mobile market, and we’re happy to announce that we’ll bring custom graphics IP to Samsung’s next flagship mobile SoC with ray tracing and variable rate shading capabilities. We’re really looking forward to Samsung providing more details later this year.”

The Korean company’s latest flagship Exynos 2100 chip is already available on its Galaxy S21 phones. Unveiled in January, the processor features an ARM-designed Mali-G78, which Samsung says can deliver 40 percent better graphical performance than its predecessor, the Exynos 990. Management previously hinted that the mobile GPU it’s developing with AMD could be the successor to the Exynos 2100. That would possibly indicate a 2022 debut on its Galaxy S21 follow-up.

AMD also used its Computex keynote to highlight a barrage of new products and collabs. The announcements included details about its graphics hardware for Tesla’s in-vehicle infotainment systems and release dates for its Ryzen 5000 chips.