Sumo partners with Arm to help test mobile game capabilities on new AI-powered chips

UK games firm Sumo Digital is partnering with chip specialist Arm to help it evaluate its in-development neural technology.

Specifically, the studio is going to be figuring out the capabilities of the chip giant’s new technology in real-world development conditions. Arm says that the neural technology it has been working on for its chips will allow for “PC-quality graphics on mobile” thanks to “AI-powered neural accelerators” on its GPUs.

“We’re excited to be working with Arm on a technical implementation of this boundary-pushing new technology,” Sumo Digital CEO Gary Dunn said.

“Arm neural technology will represent a paradigm shift for what’s possible with video games on mobile.

“We’re working with Arm on a project that demonstrates the capabilities of the technology and look forward to sharing some demos at GDC this week.”

Chris Bergey, the evp of Arm’s Edge AI Business unit added: “Bringing desktop-quality graphics to mobile has been one of the industry’s toughest challenges. Arm neural technology will unlock game-changing, immersive experiences for players. With Sumo Digital, we’re doing important work to ease the on-ramp for developers so they can push visual quality even further on mobile.”

Arm went public in 2023 after graphics card giant Nvidia attempted to acquire the company from finance giant SoftBank. Up to 960 staff lost their job after that deal fell through.

Sumo Digital has similarly been through a tumultuous period of change. Having been acquired by Chinese tech and entertainment giant Tencent in 2021, the company has recently divested a number of its subsidiaries, including The Chinese Room, publisher Secret Mode, Auroch Digital and the Polish arm of PixelAnt.

Sumo’s founders have also departed and been replaced by co-CEOs Dunn and Andy Stewart. The firm also recently announced another round of redundancies.

Part of this shift has been moving away from exploring its own original IP in favour of focusing on its “development services” business.

“There has obviously been a shift in the games industry in recent years,” Stewart told GamesIndustry.biz earlier this month.

“Like many gaming businesses, we have had to make some tough decisions along the way. However, Gary and I have been in our roles since last summer. We’ve stabilized the business in what we think are quite unstable times. We now have a clear vision for how Sumo fits into the new world.”