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 Nvidia's newest chip, the RTX 4090, is artificial intelligence-focused and creates photorealistic visuals in games.

• Combining AI with more conventional image processing calculations could result in significant time savings in creating new images with the new technique.
• When it launches, the premium RTX 4090 may be purchased for $1,599 USD. On October 12

On May 30, 2017, at the annual Computex computer exhibition in Taipei, the logo of Nvidia Corporation was on display. Image courtesy of Reuters.

The most valuable US semiconductor manufacturer, Nvidia Corp, has introduced a new graphics processor that leverages improved AI to create more realistic game images.

On Tuesday, company co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang announced the GeForce RTX 40 graphics cards, powered by the company's revolutionary architecture, code-named Ada Lovelace. The flagship RTX 4090 will retail for US$1,599 when it launches on October 12. The other two variants, which will be available in the US in November, will cost $899 and $1,199, respectively.

The RTX 4090 flagship model, which has the new processor, will contain 76 billion transistors and 24GB of onboard memory, making it one of the most sophisticated graphics processing units currently available. To manufacture the processor using its 4N technology, Nvidia has contracted with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, while Micron Technology Inc supplies the RAM. Nvidia has been relying on Samsung Electronics Co. to produce precursors to Ada.

In addition to employing AI to mimic human performance, the new technology promises to increase the speed with which cards generate images using the more conventional way of computing the positions of individual pixels on display. It's part of a trend that Nvidia has been at the forefront of, whereby computers can make images look more realistic by simulating the refraction and refraction of light as they construct them.

This strategy has the potential to offer consumers a new incentive to upgrade their hardware, which is precisely what Nvidia needs at the moment. The chip manufacturer has seen a dramatic decline in demand for PC parts. Nvidia revealed dismal quarterly sales last month and provided a gloomy outlook.

To encourage its customers, primarily manufacturers of graphics cards marketed as add-ins for high-end PCs, to use up their excess stock, Nvidia has had to reduce shipments consciously. Huang has stated that this procedure will be finalised before the end of the year.

These technological advancements, named for the 19th-century mathematician widely regarded as the first computer programmer, will have an immediate impact on the gaming industry by making existing games better and learning from player behaviour. In turn, Nvidia will use the information gleaned from the cards to fine-tune the software on its machines.