RX 9070 XT successor will reportedly arrive with AMD’s RDNA 5 in 2027

AMD's next-generation RDNA 5 graphics architecture may not arrive with a full range of GPUs at once. According to prominent hardware leaker KeplerL2, AMD could launch just a single RDNA 5 GPU chip in 2027, with the rest of the lineup following in 2028.

The chip in question is reportedly called AT2, and it is expected to take over from the Navi 48-based GPU used in AMD's current Radeon RX 9070 XT. If the leaked timeline holds, AT2 would become the first RDNA 5 chip available to PC gamers, while both larger and smaller variants are apparently being developed for a later release.

Interestingly, AT2 is also rumored to play a major role in Microsoft's next-generation Xbox. Leaked specifications for the Project Helix console point to 68 RDNA 5 Compute Units, which is four more than the 64 CUs found in the RX 9070 XT. Clock speeds could provide another advantage, with KeplerL2 claiming that RDNA 5 GPUs are targeting frequencies between 3.1GHz and 3.4GHz, compared with the RX 9070 XT's 2.99GHz game clock. On paper, that represents roughly a 4.3% to 14.4% increase.

Combining the additional Compute Units with those higher clocks would give AT2 around 10.8% to 21.5% more raw shader throughput than the RX 9070 XT, although that calculation doesn't account for any architectural improvements introduced with RDNA 5. Actual gaming performance could therefore differ considerably.

The potential Xbox connection is perhaps the more interesting part of the leak. If AT2 really powers Project Helix while also appearing as a discrete PC graphics card, AMD could be creating a much closer hardware relationship between its Radeon GPUs and Microsoft's next console. Recent leaks have even claimed that companies such as MSI and ASUS could produce third-party Project Helix systems, potentially bringing the Xbox platform into more traditional PC hardware territory.

RDNA 5 is also rumored to bring significant improvements beyond conventional rasterization. AMD is reportedly working on stronger path-tracing, AI, and Neural Rendering capabilities, potentially including technologies such as AI-assisted texture compression and global illumination. Such features could eventually give Radeon hardware alternatives to technologies found in NVIDIA's DLSS ecosystem.

For now, the leaked roadmap points to AT2 arriving in 2027, followed by additional RDNA 5 GPUs in 2028. If accurate, AMD's next-generation architecture could therefore take considerably longer to fill out than previous Radeon generations. As always, for the latest news on AMD's RDNA 5 GPUs, Radeon graphics cards, Xbox hardware, and developments across the PC gaming industry, be sure to follow our dedicated hardware coverage.