半导体芯闻·2025-07-23 09:59Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the emergence of Bolt Graphics, a startup aiming to redefine the GPU landscape with its new GPU called Zeus, specifically targeting path tracing technology to challenge established giants like NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel [1][6]. Group 1: Path Tracing as a Breakthrough - Path tracing represents a significant advancement in game graphics, providing a more realistic rendering of light interactions compared to traditional real-time ray tracing [2]. - Traditional methods sacrifice physical accuracy for performance, while path tracing offers "no-compromise quality" despite its high computational cost [2]. - The historical development of path tracing dates back to Jim Kajiya's 1986 paper, which laid the foundation for modern rendering theories [3]. Group 2: Bolt Graphics and Zeus GPU - Bolt Graphics was founded by engineers from major companies like NVIDIA and AMD, recognizing the untapped potential of path tracing technology [6]. - The Zeus GPU comes in three versions: single-chip (Zeus 1c), dual-chip (Zeus 2c), and quad-chip (Zeus 4c), with varying power and performance specifications [6][7]. - Zeus 1c has a TDP of approximately 120W and can process around 7.7 billion rays per second, while Zeus 4c targets data center applications with a TDP of 500W and up to 2TB of DDR5 memory [6][7][10]. Group 3: Advantages of Zeus - The memory architecture of Zeus utilizes LPDDR5X for bandwidth and DDR5 for capacity, allowing for a total memory of up to 2.25TB, which is beneficial for path tracing and HPC datasets [10]. - Bolt claims that Zeus can outperform NVIDIA's RTX 5090 by a factor of 10 in terms of efficiency for 4K path tracing scenes [10][11]. - Zeus supports IEEE-754 FP64 standard, making it suitable for high-performance computing (HPC) applications, which is a competitive advantage over NVIDIA's focus on AI [11][12]. Group 4: Ecosystem Development - Bolt is building an open, customizable ecosystem based on RISC-V architecture, which allows for community acceptance and flexibility in design [14][15]. - The company is developing a proprietary path tracing engine called Glow Stick, which aims for compatibility with mainstream rendering tools [15][16]. - Bolt plans to integrate its technology with various industry software and is working on drivers for DirectX and Vulkan, although challenges remain in the Windows ecosystem [16][17]. Group 5: Future Prospects and Challenges - Bolt aims to deliver its first development kits by Q3 2025 and enter mass production by the end of 2026, facing typical startup pressures [17][18]. - The company intends to target professionals in film and design before expanding into the gaming market, requiring successful case studies to build credibility [18][19]. - The potential for Zeus to revolutionize graphics rendering and simulation integration is significant, but the path from concept to production is fraught with challenges [19].