Anno 117: Pax Romana Forces AVX2 Test for Nvidia RTX Spark’s ARM CPU

Nvidia’s latest pitch for RTX Spark has hit an unusually practical snag: Ubisoft’s PC version of Anno 117: Pax Romana reportedly requires AVX2, while RTX Spark is built around an ARM-based Grace CPU that can’t natively run x86 AVX2 instructions. That mismatch makes the game a potential real-world test of how far x86 compatibility on Nvidia’s new ARM platform has come.

Why Anno 117 is being used as a compatibility test

In Nvidia’s newest materials, Anno 117: Pax Romana is listed among the games expected to run on RTX Spark. However, the underlying CPU requirement for the PC release is the key issue. Ubisoft’s specification calls for a CPU with AVX2 support—even at 1,920×1,080 resolution with low detail settings.

• Ubisoft’s PC requirements: AVX2 is listed as a requirement for Anno 117: Pax Romana.
• RTX Spark’s CPU approach: it uses a Grace CPU with ARM cores, which does not natively execute x86 AVX2 instructions.
• Why it matters: this makes Anno 117 a concrete test case for x86 instruction compatibility on Nvidia’s ARM platform.

How Prism changes the equation on Windows

Microsoft’s Prism emulator is the piece that may bridge the gap. The materials state that, starting with Windows 11 24H2, Prism can represent not just x86 and x64 code, but also AVX and AVX2 instructions. It’s also said to cover several related instruction extensions, including FMA, BMI, and F16C.

For RTX Spark specifically, Nvidia’s setup is described as pairing a Grace CPU with up to 20 ARM cores with a Blackwell GPU configuration that can include up to 6,144 CUDA cores. If Prism is used to translate AVX2 calls, then Anno 117 could theoretically start on RTX Spark despite the CPU’s lack of native x86 AVX2 support.

• Windows 11 24H2 enables Prism features for AVX/AVX2 translation.
• Prism is also described as supporting extensions such as FMA, BMI, and F16C.
• RTX Spark’s described hardware pairing includes a Grace ARM CPU (up to 20 cores) and a Blackwell GPU (up to 6,144 CUDA cores).
• If Nvidia runs the standard x64 build, AVX2 gating could be cleared—though performance impact isn’t addressed in the materials.

Open questions: which build is Nvidia actually showing?

Nvidia’s documentation reportedly mentions Anno 117, but it does not make clear whether the demonstration uses an unmodified x64/x64-targeted release or whether Ubisoft’s PC build is adjusted for the platform.

That uncertainty extends beyond just the game executable. The PC version sold via Ubisoft’s store requires Ubisoft Connect. If Nvidia is running an unmodified retail-style setup, then both Ubisoft Connect and the game itself would need to function correctly on the ARM system. The available information does not confirm whether Nvidia is demonstrating that exact configuration or a special ARM-compatible setup.

• Build uncertainty: it’s unclear whether Nvidia is using the unmodified x64 version or an adjusted release.
• Launcher dependency: the store version is described as requiring Ubisoft Connect.
• Compatibility unknown: it’s not confirmed whether Ubisoft Connect is demonstrated as working on the RTX Spark/ARM setup in the same way as the game.

What to watch next

If Nvidia truly uses the regular x64 game version, Anno 117 could become one of the more meaningful practical benchmarks for x86-AVX2 compatibility—because the game’s minimum CPU requirement is explicit. Even then, the materials leave the most important question unanswered: what kind of performance cost, if any, comes with the translation layer.