ASD changes the way shaders work. Instead of local compilation when the game is first launched or after driver updates, ready-made files are downloaded from the Microsoft cloud. This reduces waiting times and minimizes micro-freezes that often occur in the first minutes of gameplay.
According to Microsoft, the technology can speed up the first launch of a game by up to 95%. As an example, the company cites Forza Horizon 6, which loads significantly faster with ASD compared to traditional shader compilation.
Initially, the feature appeared on Xbox Ally portable devices, then became available to Xbox Insider program participants with AMD graphics cards based on RDNA 3 and RDNA 4 architectures. Now, RDNA 1 and RDNA 2, including all Radeon RX 5000 and newer, have also received support. AMD Adrenalin 26.6.1 drivers or newer are required for operation.
Currently, ASD only works in games launched through the Xbox app on Windows. Microsoft stated that GeForce RTX support will arrive by the end of the year. Intel has also confirmed plans to implement the technology.