Neural rendering might be Nvidia's next AI trick on RTX 5000

Forward-looking: New Nvidia graphics card generations and major DLSS updates typically introduce new AI-assisted rendering features. With the RTX 5000 series unveiling weeks away, speculation about whether the company will reveal more added functionality has proliferated. Inno3D's CES 2025 press release might have teased Nvidia's plans.

Nvidia board partner Inno3D has outlined the new AI-assisted technologies it plans to showcase at CES 2025 in January, where Team Green is expected to unveil its next-generation GeForce RTX 5000 graphics cards. A bullet point on Inno3D's vaguely worded list mentions Neural Rendering, which could dramatically alter graphics rendering pipelines.

The feature might be the next major addition to Nvidia's DLSS toolchain, following Super Resolution, Frame Generation, and Ray Reconstruction. Inno3D didn't mention precise details on Neural Rendering but described it as a revolution in graphics display and processing.

Nvidia has previously discussed its ambitions for using DLSS to increase the integration of AI and machine learning in video game graphics. However, the company hasn't specified a timeline for the functionality's evolution.

Last year, Nvidia speculated that DLSS could render game worlds using neural networks in the far future. In the near term, Nvidia also proposed using DLSS to generate textures, objects, and NPCs through AI. Whether Neural Rendering might achieve any of these goals remains unclear.

Inno3D also plans to cover other gaming and content creation advances at CES. For example, AI-enhanced power efficiency might improve the dynamic regulation of power consumption and thermals. Furthermore, the company mentioned enhancements for DLSS Video Super Resolution and other GenAI tasks.

The press release might allude to Nvidia's ambitions for handling local GenAI workloads using RTX GPUs, which could outperform the NPUs that have defined recently released "AI PCs." Microsoft plans to eventually enable using Nvidia GPUs for Copilot+ features, which currently require NPUs. Furthermore, Nvidia's previously teased G-Assist chatbot aims to help users when playing games and optimizing graphics settings.

If the company debuts new DLSS or AI features with RTX 5000, it remains unclear whether they will be exclusive to the new lineup. DLSS 3 frame generation is only enabled on RTX 4000 cards but the subsequently introduced ray reconstruction feature supports all RTX GPUs.

Nvidia is expected to reveal the RTX 5090, 5080, 5070 Ti, and 5070 at CES, with the 5060 debuting later. AMD will also likely unveil the Radeon RX 8800 and possibly 8600 at the trade show. Team Red aims to substantially improve ray tracing performance and upscaling quality with its new GPUs to catch up to Nvidia.