Readers will remember that the Intel Xe Super Sampling upscaler enhances image quality by using artificial intelligence. This deep learning capability is enabled through the XMX cores featured on Arc GPUs. The first discrete GPU to take advantage of the Intel XeSS technology is Intel’s own DG2 lineup featuring the Alchemist chips. Non-Intel GPUs can also support XeSS but only if they carry DP4a capabilities. The lack of open-source integration disappoints users, especially when Intel ensured open-source support as one of the main features. Documentation and header files have been shown so far in the SDK to allow game developers access to the sampling for each group’s gaming creations through the use of .dll and .exe Windows extensions located in the source tree, reports Michael Larabel of Phoronix. Intel may also be struggling with the implementation. Last month’s article on the Phoronix website mentions that “Intel® Xe Super Sampling (XeSS) is open source. It is implemented using open standards to ensure wide availability on many games and across a broad set of shipping hardware from both Intel® and other GPU vendors.” However, the website reads: Not that it does not imply that it is offering open-source capabilities, but the official Intel website, as well as the GitHub page, does not reference full open-source support yet, and only references the integration. The company has offered support for open-source platforms in the past, so it may just be a matter of time before the implementation is finalized. Larabel also states that the quote reads “open standards,” and there is no stated “open-source” quote. XeSS is implemented using open standards to ensure wide availability on many games and across a broad set of shipping hardware, from both Intel® and other GPU vendors. Additionally, the XeSS algorithm can leverage the DP4a and XMX hardware capabilities of Xe GPUs for better performance — Intel XeSS information page The only addition besides minor bug fixes is the Chinese version of the developer guide. Those parties interested in using Intel XeSS can download the SDK from the company’s GitHub page. News Sources: Phoronix, Phoronix, Intel, Intel GitHub
