The world of mobile and PC gaming is different and nowadays it is not just a hobby but has become a profession. Being a pro gaming enthusiast, every gamer wants his game to run smoothly without any lag or frame drop. This is where the role of NPU (Neural Processing Unit) and AI becomes important. As AI is the first priority in every sector, the gaming sector is not so different and hence many mobile and PC brands are integrating its power in their devices or processors to level up the gaming experience. If you have ever wondered how Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, MediaTek’s Dimensity, Intel’s Core processors, or NVIDIA’s GPUs help in gaming, the answer lies in NPU and AI.
Why do NPU and AI matter in gaming?
As published by Josh Schneider and Ian Smalley on IBM, NPU is a special type of processor that is built for AI to processes AI and machine learning tasks faster. Even Wikipedia describes an NPU as a type of AI accelerator. Earlier, all the work depended on CPU and GPU, but now NPU handles AI-based optimization. For example, when you play games like BGMI, Call of Duty Mobile, or Genshin Impact, the NPU optimizes the game’s load, lighting, shadows, and even network latency in real-time.
The AI-assisted gaming technology in MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300 helps keep the game’s frame rate stable. Similarly, the Hexagon NPU in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 uses AI Super Resolution in gaming, which improves graphics and improves FPS.
In short, AI in gaming improves a number of things – it provides better fps, manage battery backup of device, reduces thermal throttling, and ensure fair play so you can get a better experience while playing the games. And all these AI related things are handled professionally by NPU instead GPU or CPU. This extra NPU unit in device saves a lot of computing time, and resources…therefore, an AI powered gaming device should have an NPU along with CPU and GPU.
Effect of NPU and AI in PC Gaming
NVIDIA’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is a well-known name for PC gamers. As published on NVIDIA official website, this technology uses AI to render the game at a lower resolution, but makes it look like a higher resolution. This reduces the load on the GPU and increases FPS. Intel has also included NPU in its new Core Ultra processors, which helps in AI-based game optimization.
AMD has also used this technology in its Ryzen AI processors. Their FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) also improves gaming performance using AI. In fact, with the help of AI and NPU, game developers are now able to optimize dynamic scaling, background processing, and even real-time physics calculations.
Does FPS really increase? Real-world test
If we talk about practical tests, turning on AI gaming mode in Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones has seen an improvement of up to 10-15% FPS in games like BGMI. At the same time, using NVIDIA’s DLSS 3.0 increases FPS by 40-50% in demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077.
AI-based resolution scaling in MediaTek’s Dimensity 9200+ keeps the frame rate stable in games like Genshin Impact, even when the graphics settings are on high. This proves that NPU and AI are not just marketing terms, but they really improve the gaming experience.
What will happen in the future?
As the power of AI and NPU grows, its use in gaming will increase even more. In the next few years, we will see games that are completely AI-driven, where the behavior of NPCs, the dynamics of the environment and even the difficulty of the game will be adjusted by AI in real-time.
At the moment, if you want a smooth gaming experience, devices with NPU and AI-enabled processors are the best option. Be it Snapdragon, Mediatek’s Dimensity, Intel Core Ultra or any GPU from NVIDIA/AMD, AI has now become an important part of gaming.
