PlayStation lead architect Mark Cerny is back again. achieves various graphics improvements. Cerny first in September and it explores how the Pro's improved GPU uses AMD technology and announces "deeper collaboration" between Sony and the chipmaker.

The PS5 uses AMD's RDNA 2 GPU architecture, released in 2020, while the PS5 Pro uses what Cerny refers to in the video as RDNA 2.X. The new GPU is a mix of what's already on offer with some cherry picked features that are more advanced AMD introduced in 2022. This is combined with ray tracing techniques from future RDNA technology on AMD's roadmap and custom machine learning features created for the PS5 Pro, according to Cerni. These machine learning components are probably a key part of AMD and Sony's future collaboration.

"AMD has been a fantastic partner for SIE for many years now," says Cerny. "And I'm honored to announce that we're starting a deeper collaboration with a focus on machine learning-based technology for graphics and gaming."

According to Cerny, the name Amethyst, which the companies have chosen for their new project, is primarily concerned with creating a "more ideal architecture for machine learning." New hardware architectures developed by the companies may benefit future consoles and AMD's own GPUs, but these are only part of the plan. Sony and AMD are also working on the "democratization of machine learning," which sounds like possible software tools to make it easier for developers to apply artificial intelligence to games and graphics.

The whole video is full of information about the thought and engineering that went into the PS5 Pro, and it's worth a watch if you want to learn more about what "Pro" means in this case. It might not convince you to upgrade to a new $700 console, but it certainly shows that Sony didn't take its design lightly.