ZLUDA v6 brings pre-alpha PhysX support to AMD GPUs
AMD Radeon GPUs can now run some older NVIDIA PhysX workloads through ZLUDA, an open-source CUDA implementation for non-NVIDIA GPUs. The new v6 release adds pre-alpha support for 32-bit PhysX, which was used by many older PC games with GPU-accelerated physics effects.
Early 32-bit PhysX support
According to the ZLUDA developer, the long-running PhysX pull request is not complete yet, but it already allows some older PhysX games to run faster on AMD GPUs. It may also enable extra visual effects such as debris and flames in games that previously expected an NVIDIA GPU for GPU PhysX.
RX 9070 XT in Mafia 2 with ZLUDA OFF and ON, Source: Vosen
The example shown by the developer uses the original Mafia II benchmark from 2010. The system pairs a Ryzen 9 9950X3D with a Radeon RX 9070 XT at 2560×1440. With PhysX enabled, the benchmark result increased from 26.2 FPS without ZLUDA to 80.2 FPS with ZLUDA, based on the provided screenshots. This is a 3.06x increase in average frame rate for that test.
Not ready for general use
The developer says support is still incomplete. Fluid simulations can glitch, and the current method of loading ZLUDA into Steam games is described as poor. The developer also notes that the test was performed on one PC with an unusual GPU setup, so broader compatibility remains unproven.
ZLUDA v6 also adds basic texture support, which is now complete enough for PhysX and Blender workloads. Windows support has been improved as well, with a more reliable ZLUDA loader that can handle performance libraries automatically instead of requiring manual flags.
The project is also changing direction. ZLUDA is no longer commercially funded and is now back to being a weekend project. Development will continue, but the developer expects updates to arrive less often than before.
Source: ZLUDA Blog
