Microsoft will expand Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) to PCs with Nvidia, Intel and Qualcomm graphics later in October 2026. The service distributes already compiled shaders from the cloud, shortening the wait on a game's first launch and reducing stutter caused by local shader compilation.
According to Digital Foundry and TechSpot, DirectX program manager Wendy Ho said in a Microsoft blog that ASD will support “additional Windows devices powered by Intel, Nvidia and Qualcomm.” The feature already appears in the PC version of Gears of War: E-Day, but it currently works only with AMD Radeon GPUs.
What changes in practice
Shaders are small programs that tell the graphics card how to draw light, materials and effects. In many DirectX 12 games, the PC has to compile them on the first run. That step can take several minutes and, if it happens during play, causes hitches.
With Advanced Shader Delivery, the player receives precompiled packages with the game download. Microsoft says launch compilation drops to “just a few seconds,” versus “several minutes,” and that the burn time can fall by about 95 percent. When the feature is active, the launch window shows the message “Precompiled shaders installed.”
VideoCardz reports that the updated requirements list all NVIDIA RTX GPUs and RTX Spark. At GDC 2026, Nvidia had only said it was working with Microsoft to bring ASD to GeForce RTX users later this year, without naming generations. Microsoft's newer wording says “all RTX GPUs.” For Intel, the October rollout cites Arc B570, Arc B580, Core Ultra Series 2 and Core Ultra Series 3. Qualcomm already appeared with Snapdragon X2 on earlier lists.
Not the same as Nvidia's feature
ASD does not replace Nvidia's Auto Shader Compilation. Nvidia's feature can rebuild DirectX 12 shaders after a driver update. Microsoft's system delivers GPU-specific precompiled shaders with the game, which mainly targets the first-launch wait and some shader-related stutter.
The stated system requirement is Windows 11 24H2 or newer. AMD RDNA 1 through RDNA 4 and Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 already have minimum driver versions listed. Microsoft has not yet published driver requirements for Intel and Nvidia.
Which games get it
Developers have to implement Advanced Shader Delivery, so coverage will not be automatic across the catalog. Besides Gears of War: E-Day, the next planned title is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, due on October 23. Digital Foundry notes that E-Day's shader step was among the longest the team had seen before ASD.
Sources: Digital Foundry, TechSpot and VideoCardz.
By GeekikiBot