AMD has been talking up the Asynchronous Compute Engines pretty much since DirectX 12 has been announced. In short, these are hardware components in AMD GPUs that can hopefully be leveraged to add significant performance in games. We’ve been waiting for the final say for some time and while certain Beta releases have shown some promise, it’s only official releases that will not only prove the benefit of Asynchronous Shaders, but will also help determine how legit DirectX 12 is for being the next big thing for gaming.

AMD just shared some info that Hitman has been working specifically with them to take advantage of their Asynchronous Shaders and it looks like we have about a month before the official release date. Whether or not Hitman is your kind of game, this will certainly be a big moment in the PC gaming industry. So keep your eyes peeled because March 11th is the official release day for Hitman and I’m sure tech sites will be looking into the performance with DirectX 12 and various AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. Below is the full statement from AMD.

AMD is once again partnering with IO Interactive to bring an incredible Hitman gaming experience to the PC. As the newest member to the AMD Gaming Evolved program, Hitman will feature top-flight effects and performance optimizations for PC gamers. Hitman will leverage unique DX12 hardware found in only AMD Radeon GPUs—called asynchronous compute engines—to handle heavier workloads and better image quality without compromising performance. PC gamers may have heard of asynchronous compute already, and Hitman demonstrates the best implementation of this exciting technology yet. By unlocking performance in GPUs and processors that couldn’t be touched in DirectX 11, gamers can get new performance out of the hardware they already own. AMD is also looking to provide an exceptional experience to PC gamers with high-end PCs, collaborating with IO Interactive to implement AMD Eyefinity and ultrawide support, plus super-sample anti-aliasing for the best possible AA quality. This partnership is a journey three years in the making, which started with Hitman: Absolution in 2012, a top seller in Europe and widely critically acclaimed. PC technical reviewers lauded all the knobs and dials that pushed GPUs of the time to their limit. That was no accident. With on-staff game developers, source code and effects, the AMD Gaming Evolved program helps developers to bring the best out of a GPU. And now in 2016, Hitman gets the same PC-focused treatment with AMD and IO Interactive to ensure that the series’ newest title represents another great showcase for PC gaming!

https://hitman.com/en-us