The NVIDIA App update today introduced some interesting features, such as DLSS 4.5 dynamic multi-frame generation and a 6x mode. Additionally, the app now includes a new beta version of NVIDIA Auto Shader Compilation (ASC). This feature takes DirectX 12 shaders from games and quietly compiles them while the system is idle or not running any graphically intensive tasks. Typically, when you start a game, you have to wait for all assets to load and shaders to compile before you can begin playing. However, with ASC, NVIDIA aims to shorten this process by pre-compiling shaders to reduce loading times and, interestingly, decrease in-game stuttering, which can occur when shaders don鈥檛 load properly. NVIDIA states that this feature is opt-in within the NVIDIA App and can be enabled by navigating to the Graphics Tab > Global Settings > Shader Cache. Once in the menu, users can access a range of settings, including the option to turn on Auto Shader Compilation.
So basically they liked what Steam did and decided to yoink it.
Not really. The steam deck uses pre compiled shaders and downloads them (presumably when idle). This actually compiles the shaders on your machine when idle.
Slight correction. Steam uses fossilize to package the event that the shaders can be compiled from for the individual systems to consume. It -also- stores pre-compiled shaders when available for certain common configurations, such as the steam deck. If you have uncompiled precached shaders on your system, you can go into your steam options (in desktop mode in the case of the steam deck) and enable background processing of those shaders, which will compile them using minimal resources while you鈥檙e doing other things. In the case of people like me, who run preview builds on their steam deck and have (literally) hundreds of games installed, I often leave my deck on overnight with that option enabled after a graphic driver update because I鈥檓 one of the distributing systems producing the pre-compiled shaders everyone else takes for granted.