When cloud computing is here, can cloud gaming be far behind? In cloud computing, an user’s applications and documents are shifted from desktop to the cloud, where thousands of computers and servers are linked together and accessible through the Internet or the ?cloud?.

Many companies have embraced this technology mainly for the cost benefit it offers. And now cloud gaming is the buzzword. With cloud gaming, games could be as flexible as checking emails, and so realistic that they look like filmed movies, said Vamsi Krishna, senior technical manager, AMD.

AMD’s Fusion Render Cloud graphic supercomputer aims to bring in high definition (HD) cloud computing. The prototype of the device is expected to be available by the end of this year. “One of the biggest future possibilities of this supercomputer is cloud gaming. Fusion Render Cloud will enable content providers to deliver video games, PC applications and other graphic-intensive applications through the Internet cloud to virtually any type of mobile devices with a web browser without making the device rapidly deplete battery life or struggle to process the content,” Krishna said.

The AMD Fusion Render Cloud claims to transform movie and gaming experiences through server-side rendering, which stores visually rich content in a compute cloud, compresses it and streams it in real-time over a wireless or broadband connection to a variety of devices, such as smart phones, set-top boxes and ultra-thin notebooks.

India is likely to be one of the hot spots for cloud gaming. A potential problem in India is that most gamers don’t have PCs. They have only cell phones, which do not have enough processing power to compute high levels of realism. The Fusion Render Cloud claims to solve this issue by rendering the complex scenes and then sending a live video stream to cell phones in real time. On an iPhone, the time lag is as minimal as 0.25 seconds from LA to Mumbai, claims AMD.

Gaming over the cloud may also put an end to game piracy. “Users don’t have to download games on their computers. Consequently, they will not have the game in their PCs and therefore will not be able to create copies,” said Krishna.

Eyeing the sky

•Many companies have embraced ?cloud? mainly for the cost benefit it offers

•Fusion render cloud graphic supercomputer aims to bring in HD cloud computing

•A potential problem in India is that most gamers don’t have PCs