Graphics computing company NVIDIA has been making strides in the virtual reality (VR) space recently with several new initiatives such as GameWorks VR. Rival AMD is looking to catch up, however, and has today announced that it is forming a brand new division for its Radeon graphics work which is named Radeon Technologies Group. According to company president and CEO Dr. Lisa Su, the new sector’s goals will include “staking leadership positions in new markets such as virtual and augmented reality.”

The new group is headed up by AMD’s CTO, Raja Koduri, and will run separately from AMD itself. Running a VR experience on PC is a demanding challenge that requires high-powered computing, as proven when Oculus VR released the minimum specs for a PC to run experiences for the consumer Oculus Rift. Hopefully with this new division the company will be able to focus on products capable of running such software to a high standard, maintaining graphical fidelity along with other factors such as a smooth frame rate that are essential to VR.

“AMD is one of the few companies with the engineering talent and IP to make emerging immersive computing opportunities a reality,” Koduri said of his new appointment. “Now, with the Radeon Technologies Group, we have a dedicated team focused on growing our business as we create a unique environment for the best and brightest minds in graphics to be a part of the team re-defining the industry.”

VRFocus will continue to follow AMD’s work with VR closely, reporting back with the latest updates on its progress.