AMD SKY Technology

​When AMD Radeon Sky series cards and AMD SKY technology are combined, service providers can stream multiple games from the cloud to consumers, delivering a high-quality, low-latency gaming experience to a wide variety of devices.

AMD SKY technology is compatible with middleware from third parties, like Ubitus, Eureva, G-Cluster and Leap Computing, and also features the AMD RapidFire SDK for optimal desktop or application remoting. There are a number of features that address the specific needs of each workflow. This simplifies the manipulation of key hardware controls and provides HD visual quality, minimal latency and optimal network bandwidth resulting in a compelling and responsive experience from any device over the Internet.

​AMD SKY Technology¹

​A unique offering of AMD SKY technology, the AMD RapidFire SDK facilitates the use of our independent onboard H.264 encoder. Select AMD FirePro™ S-series and AMD Radeon™ Sky graphics cards are capable of encoding multiple simultaneous streams of H.264 at different resolutions and quality settings without significantly impacting GPU performance. The AMD RapidFire SDK helps ISVs to optimize the data encoding path to reduce latency and incorporates defined presets to minimize integration efforts and speed up development time. Further, the AMD RapidFire SDK simplifies the manipulation of key hardware parameters such as resolution, frame rate and bit rate control to minimize network bandwidth while delivering high-definition images.

Cloud gaming

With the AMD RapidFire SDK, cloud service providers and middleware cloud gaming vendors can seamlessly stream AAA titles or casual games over the Internet to a variety of consumer devices. AMD RapidFire SDK helps provide the flexibility of delivering multiple game streams at HD resolution. The end result is a console-quality gaming experience on virtually any device – including smartphones, smart TVs, tablets, notebooks and desktops. The benefit is a consolidated data center running an optimal number of games per GPU.

Virtualization

IT departments are increasingly moving employees to virtualized desktops or streaming applications that reside in the data center. The AMD RapidFire SDK works behind the scenes to help ensure that desktop or application delivery over the corporate network is as responsive as a local experience. This includes both the graphical imagery displayed on the screen as well as capturing user interaction, e.g., keyboard strokes or mouse movement. From power users to knowledge workers, AMD RapidFire SDK helps deliver a no-compromise remoted experience.

The AMD RapidFire SDK¹ includes:

• H.264 Encode
• H.264 Decode
• Desktop or window capture
• Support for OpenGL 4.3, DirectX® 9 and 11.1
• Remote user interface intercept (e.g., remote keyboard, mouse)

​Quick overview of AMD FirePro S-series for VDI and virtualized workstation

​Quick overview of AMD Radeon Sky series for cloud gaming