Tesla, and Elon Musk, weren’t exaggerating when they spoke highly of the computing power in the new Model S and Model X. Musk also tweeted yesterday that the two premium vehicles will have Playstation 5-level computing power.
Yeah, new Model S & X have PS5 level entertainment computing power
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2021
AMD, the chip manufacturer for Tesla, further backed this claim. During its recent Computex keynote, AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su confirmed that Tesla’s new flagship sedan and SUV would feature RDNA 2 GPU architecture.
AMD’s Computex Keynote
In her keynote, Dr Su highlighted the fact that AMD’s RDNA 2 graphics are found in numerous consumer devices today, such as the PlayStation 5. This highlighted the chipmaker’s proficiency in creating hardware that can handle even the toughest programs and games in the market. The CEO also remarked that AMD won’t confine these RDNA 2 graphics to laptops and gaming consoles. They will find their way into electric cars as well.
We’re really just getting started with RDNA 2. So you might be surprised to learn the next place you’ll find RDNA 2 graphics. It’s actually on the road, in the electric vehicle market with the new Tesla Model S and Model X.
The AMD CEO explained that the RDNA 2 graphics would kick in when people are playing something that demands a lot of processing power. This system is similar to how devices such as laptops juggle integrated and discrete graphics cards to optimize power consumption. It should allow Tesla to ensure that its built-in gaming systems do not consume more power than they really need as well.
They have an embedded AMD Ryzen APU which powers the infotainment system in both cars. In addition to that, they also have a discrete RDNA 2-based GPU. This GPU kicks in when the user runs heavy-duty games, such as Triple-A games. The GPU provides the system with 10 teraflops of computing power for running these games. AMD has worked with Tesla to bring this power of Ryzen and Radeon to its premium-level vehicles.
Why This is a Big Deal
This will give Model S and X the most advanced infotainment systems ever. RDNA 2 graphics system and Triple-A gaming capability is not an everyday thing you encounter in a vehicle. We had already reported that Tesla will use AMD chips in its infotainment systems.
Interestingly enough, rumors of Tesla’s next flagship vehicles being equipped with an AMD chip began last year when prolific tech leaker Patrick Schur hinted that Tesla was looking into using AMD chips for their cars. A block diagram of Tesla’s infotainment system for the new Model S and Model X emerged earlier this year as well.
You can watch the entire AMD keynote here:
Our Opinion
Using an RDNA 2 graphics system in the infotainment system of any electric vehicle is a huge deal. Surely the gaming capabilities in the Model S and X are going to unprecedented. And this makes sense if Musk fulfills his dream of starting a RoboTaxi service. With the vehicles being driven on their own, people will get a chance to get an immersive drive experience.
