DirectStorage 1.1 with GPU decompression is now available on both Windows 11 and Windows 10. With the improved DirectStorage API, developers can move file decompression work from a system's CPU to its GPU. Because graphics cards are strong at parallel work, games can load much faster when DirectStorage 1.1 is implemented well.
GPUs can decompress almost three times faster than CPUs and free the CPU for other work.
Microsoft launched DirectStorage 1.0 earlier this year, but some key pieces were still missing. DirectStorage is designed to speed up storage performance in modern PCs and consoles, with high-end NVMe SSDs as the main focus.
DirectStorage 1.0 removed several bottlenecks that could hurt storage performance, allowing faster game loading and better use of modern SSDs. The limitation was that decompression still ran on the CPU, leaving room for further acceleration.
Microsoft confirmed that DirectStorage 1.1 would launch before the end of 2022 with GPU decompression support, using a new decompression format called GDeflate, contributed by Nvidia.
In short, DirectStorage 1.1 gives developers another route: move asset decompression to the GPU, use the bandwidth of a fast NVMe drive more effectively, reduce CPU load and improve both level loading and open-world streaming.
