Qualcomm licences Imagination's PowerVR display IP
updated 06:15 pm EST, Thu December 15, 2011
Deal is for display IP, not GPU technology
Imagination Technologies has confirmed that it is licensing its display solutions to Qualcomm. The deal will give Qualcomm, best known for its Snapdragon processors used in smartphones, access to Imagination's PowerVR technology used for frame rate conversion and image boosts on display screens. The relationship currently does not extend to Imagination's graphics cores, which are used in iPads, iPhones, and Android or PlayBook devices using TI chips.
Qualcomm has its own line of Adreno GPUs, which the company acquired from AMD after that company bought graphics processor maker ATI. The Adreno chips, however, only support DirectX 9, while other vendors, including Imagination will soon have products which will support DirectX 11. Imagination's products also are well positioned to support Windows 8 when it is released in 2012.
There is some speculation that Qualcomm could ultimately expand its licensing arrangement with Imagination to include the graphics cores as well. [via EE Times]
