According to recent reports, AMD has secured a contract with Sony to design the CPU, having outbid Intel for the opportunity. Because of its ability to seamlessly integrate CPU cores and Radeon GPU cores onto a single silicon substrate, AMD has traditionally been a trusted partner among console manufacturers, with its chips featured in the PS4, PS5, and PS5 Pro, as well as the Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and other platforms.
Despite rumors surrounding the unannounced PlayStation 6, Intel reportedly worked tirelessly to secure a contract for developing the custom chip within its forthcoming iteration, expected to be dubbed the PS6. AMD currently produces the best gaming CPU with its Ryzen 7 7800X3D, despite a gap between their GPU technology and NVIDIA’s in terms of ray tracing capabilities.
According to a Reuters report, Intel was among several chip designers vying for the PlayStation 6 contract alongside AMD and Broadcom, ultimately emerging as the winner in designing the chip that will be manufactured by TSMC. According to sources familiar with the matter, the location claims to have spoken to three individuals privy to the contract’s details. Two of these sources confirm that the agreement is projected to generate billions of dollars in revenue.
A dispute over royalties hindered Intel’s progress: The main obstacle to Intel’s partnership with Sony reportedly arose from a disagreement regarding the revenue Intel would generate per chip sold to the gaming giant for incorporation into its consoles. In the interim, a highly competitive bidding process drove other major chip manufacturers, such as Broadcom, out of contention, ultimately leaving only AMD and Intel as contenders.
Intel and Sony spent several months rekindling talks on their contract in 2022, with high-level meetings between dozens of engineers and the CEOs of both companies.
Despite trailing behind AMD and Nvidia in terms of gaming GPU market share, Intel has made significant strides in the capabilities of its GPUs over the past few years.
While minor compatibility issues were encountered during our initial testing of the Intel Arc A770, the GPU’s performance remained surprisingly consistent once it settled into its stride; Intel has subsequently dedicated significant resources to refining their drivers and resolving any outstanding compatibility concerns. The company recently boasted about having the “fastest embedded graphics processing unit” in a slim and lightweight laptop processor, following the introduction of its innovative Intel Lunar Lake System on Chip.
While there’s no official confirmation whether the PS6’s chip is a standalone CPU or a System-on-Chip (SoC) integrating both CPU and GPU, it’s highly likely that AMD is designing a custom chip for Sony that combines one of its CPUs with a GPU in a single package.
Intel is poised to unveil its latest lineup of Core i9-Extreme 200 gaming CPUs for the desktop in October 2024. To stay ahead of the curve, you can explore our comprehensive Intel Arrow Lake report, where we’ve compiled everything currently known about these highly anticipated new chips.
