Apple Tipped to Abandon PowerVR Graphics Processors

Imagination Technologies is the company that owns the tech behind the PowerVR graphics processors that are currently used in the iPhone and iPad devices. The company has announced that Apple has stated that it will no longer be licensing the PowerVR tech for the iPhone or iPad in less than two years. Imagination has issued a statement saying that Apple is working on its own independent graphics chip design.

Imagination Technologies said Apple is, “working on a separate, independent graphics design in order to control its products and will be reducing its future reliance on Imaginations technology.” Imagination has to be reeling at this announcement because Apple is about half the companies revenu. At the same time Imagination is dubious of Apple being able to design a graphics chip that wouldn’t infringe on patents that Imagination holds.

That means that Apple’s new graphics processor would be under serious scrutinization for patent infringement. It also means that if Apple plans to abandon Imagination and move forward with its own graphics processor that the design of said GPU might be vastly different from what Apple is using today. Imagination says that it requested proof from Apple that it would be able to build a graphics chip that wouldn’t infringe on Imagination’s intellectual property, but Apple declined to give that proof reports The Verge.

Imagination says that Apple doesn’t accept Imagination’s claim that it would be “extremely challenging” to build a GPU from “basics” without infringing on Imagination’s intellectual property. Imagination says that it and Apple are currently working on alternative commercial arrangements. Apple currently owns 8% of Imagination Technologies and held talks at one point to acquire Imagination Technologies, but declined to make a full merger.