ARM Introduces ASR for Superior Mobile Graphics

ARM has introduced a new technology called Accuracy Super Resolution (ASR), aiming to improve GPU performance and energy efficiency for mobile hardware. Developed using AMD’s open-source FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 (FSR2), this temporal upscaler has been tailored to work fluidly with ARM’s graphics processors. Efficiency and Performance in Mobile Devices ASR is crafted to lessen GPU demands and enhance performance on memory-constrained devices like smartphones and tablets. According to ARM, ASR achieves up to 1.5 times the performance speed of traditional FSR2 while using only a third of the GPU capacity. These improvements translate to 20 to 40 percent higher frame rates and help prevent devices from overheating, thereby minimizing thermal throttling. ARM collaborated with MediaTek to validate ASR’s benefits in a commercial mobile device equipped with an Arm Immortalis-G720 GPU and a Dimensity 9300 chipset. The test results demonstrated notable reductions in power consumption and significant extensions in battery life, which are substantially attractive for mobile game developers and operating system vendors. Technical Insights and Broader Applications ASR employs temporal upscaling by using multiple frames to generate higher-quality images, unlike spatial upscaling methods. Testing showcased ASR’s capability to achieve 53 percent more frame rates than native resolution rendering on an Arm Immortalis-G720 GPU with a 2800 x 1260 display, surpassing the performance of AMD’s FSR 2. While initially targeted at mobile devices, ASR may be applicable to laptops, especially given ARM-based processors’ presence in products like Copilot+ PCs from Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung. Experiments with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300 chipset revealed that rendering at 540p and upscaling with ASR consumes much less power than rendering games at a native 1080p resolution. Industry Context and Future Prospects The launch of ASR positions ARM within the competitive space of graphics upscaling technologies that include Nvidia’s DLSS and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Game Super Resolution. ASR’s hardware-agnostic and open-source nature may boost its adoption and encourage further development by the tech community. ARM intends to publish ASR under the MIT open-source license, potentially shaping future trends in mobile graphics technology.