Nvidia DLSS 2.2 source code leaked online by hackers
This could have reverberations throughout the entire industry.
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DLSS 2.2 source code has leaked out online after Nvidia faced one of the biggest hacks in their history last week. This leake revealed details on things such as the chips the Nintendo Switch Pro is based on, in addition to their upcoming graphics cards. In total, over 1TB of data is being leaked out by hacking group LAPSUS$, threatening to release further confidential information if Nvidia does not release mining performance limiters on their newer RTX cards. However, the release of the DLSS 2.2 source code is potent, as, alongside development documents, it could reveal to competitors such as AMD, and even the FOSS (Free and open-source software )community how to reverse-engineer this game-changing technology, which has been a huge lynchpin for the unique selling points of Nvidia’s GPU offerings.
DLSS 2.2 source code
Sent in via an anonymous tip to TechPowerUp, the DLSS 2.2 source code leak includes a programming guide, in addition to c++ files and more that could easily infringe on Nivida’s own original IP. AMD have wanted to create their own competitor in the form of FidelityFX Super Resolution which doesn’t work in the same way as DLSS, so it’s safe to assume that engineers at AMD might be trawling through these documents to gain some understanding as to how DLSS works, and what makes it improve performance so highly on all systems. It’s one of the greatest innovations in graphics technology in recent years (yes, even more so than ray tracing) as it improves performance without taxing the graphics card itself thanks to machine learning AI.
Machine learning and AI is one of Nvidia’s biggest businesses, not only on the consumer end in the form of DLSS 2.2, but also a huge part of their enterprise business ventures, meaning that if the core technologies behind DLSS 2.2 get leaked out online, so could the core of Nvidia’s entire AI business. Of course, it’s a hell of a lot more complicated than that, but the implications behind this leak could potentially reverberate throughout the entire tech industry if the leaks are to be as substantial as reported.
We could potentially see more leaks come out if Nvidia does not give in to the demands of the LAPSUS$ hacking group. While some elements and drivers could be released that do remove the LHR limitations of graphics cards, it’s more than likely that we will see more leaks of this nature come out, revealing further confidential information and technologies that Nvidia has not even announced yet, illustrated by the fact that we’ve got further information on their Lovelace CPUs.
This situation is still developing, so we will be keeping an incredibly close eye on what comes further from this ransomware attack that Nvidia is currently facing, as there could be much more news to come from further leaks. As the situation stands, Nvidia could potentially meet their demands and release the LHR drivers, but we don’t expect it to come to that kind of settlement, until Nvidia’s hands are really, really pressed.
