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Nvidia - Pushing the limits in Science, AI and Games

DistortAMG

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I thought this was an interesting topic, especially after Nvidia announced their new breed of graphics cards yesterday. The Nvidia RTX series of cards, which are a real technological advance in computer technology. One of the biggest in well over a decade and certainly the most important graphics card advancement since 2006.

The biggest thing people will have heard Nvidia for is producing graphics cards for gaming. Indeed, these new RTX cards do that very well and RTX is a replacement for GTX on some lines. RTX referring to the ability of the cards to now do a lighting technique called ray tracing, in real time. Something that has not been possible to do properly until now in real time, due to the huge amounts of computer power required to do it. Lighting in games until now, uses hack like methods to give the illusion of the scene looking like a scene in real life in terms of how it lights, reflects and generally reacts to light.

Ray tracing, traces individual light shafts back from the eye or camera all the way back to the source. Replicating real life light physics. It saves a huge amount of work for developers as no hack like or make shift methods are required as light behaves exactly how it should. The first Pixar movie to use ray tracing was Monsters Inc University. The results and graphical quality speak for themselves in how realistic and well done scenes look. This is obviously not done in real time as it is a movie. Almost all CGI in every movie uses ray tracing for lighting and again, the realisticness and lifelikeness of the scenes speak for themselves, if you have seen them. Because of Nvidia we are now at the start of a new chapter in computers where this is going to be available in games, simulators and other 3d software for the first time. Dramatically improving graphic quality like never before.


Interestingly graphics cards that process the same type of highly parallel mathematical calculations that are required to produce 3d graphics in real time, are perfect to also do non graphical calculations on. The type where if the mathematical problem can be broken down into loads of tiny problems, calculated individually then re assembled and still get the same result, then it is perfect for a graphics card to do. This has been possible since 2006 when Nvidia allowed their cards to be used for non graphical applications.

As a result of this, the same graphics cards that you will find inside your gaming PC or Nintendo Switch are making leaps and bounds like never before in the science world. Nvidia 'graphics' cards are responsible for powering the world's advancements in AI, deep learning, protein folding, neural network simulations, physics simulations, including assisting scientists and medical experts in treating coronary disease in real time. These are just a few notable applications these cards are used for, amongst many different applications. That is excluding things like space exploration and crypto currencies. These new RTX cards will no doubt accelerate scientific uses even faster, massively helping with the advancements of humans. In a way it is all thanks to humans and their desire for video games! I find this hugely interesting.

Here is a few notable applications of Nvidia cards being used for scientific purposes.

https://www.nvidia.com/object/cuda-in-action.html

Love or hate this topic or games, the one thing no one can deny is the way technology originally used for games is shaping and changing the world we all live in. Going forward, the advancements being made with these cards and technology will affect everyone's life in someway or another. If it has not already.
 
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