Intel now owns 14% of UK-based graphics processor developer
Imagination Technologies.
Does this mean that one day the microprocessor giant will
acquire the UK company?
A simple look at the changes taking place in the microprocessor
market would indicate that Intel would like to take full control of
Imagination and its IP.
But it also knows that such a move could trigger a bidding war
for the UK company.
See:
Q5 Interview - Hossein Yassaie, Imagination
Technologies
Intel has two rivals in the microprocessor architecture. The x86
based chips of AMD and the ARM-based chips of a whole host of
companies.
Intel finds itself battling AMD in the traditional PC
microprocessor market and a range of super-low power ARM processors
in the netbook and smartphone markets.
But AMD and ARM recognised the importance of graphics processing
a number of years back.
It could be argued that Intel is now moving in eth same
direction and it now seems likely that it has decided that
Imaginations PowerVR graphics processor core will give it what it
needs.
AMD got its Radeon graphics processor architecture when it
acquired the company behind it, ATI in 2007.
AMD now offers the desktop market a range of graphics processor
chips and
accelerator boards.
As yet the company has not integrated the processor core with
the CPU for an assault in eth mobile or embedded processor
market.
Embedding the graphics processor and the CPU is what ARM-based
processors can offer and the Cambridge-based processor firm
believes it has the right graphics core, called Mali, which it
acquired Falanx Microsystems in 2006.
In true ARM style it has created a partner programme and a range of
hardware and software IP around the Mali graphics processor.
This can be integrated with the ARM CPU to create anything from a
small very low power GPU up to a multi-core 1080p HD processing
unit.
ARM has announced that its Mali graphics processor conforms to the
Khronos OpenGL ES 2.0 API at resolutions up to 1080p.
Intel gets the same OpenGL mobile graphics capability from
Imagination.
The UK firm’s PowerVR SGX, which supports OpenGL 2.0, OpenGL ES
2.0, OpenGL ES 1.1 and OpenVG 1.0, is already shipping in
system-on-chip devices from Intel as well as NEC, Renesas and Texas
Instruments.
And that’s the one obstacle to a full takeover of Imagination by
Intel. Its technology has been used by a number of other leading
chip firms which would not welcome a change of ownership of the
PowerVR SGX core.
Then there is are also Imagination's other cores, the Meta embedded
DSP and the Ensigma digital radio receiver.
Most notably,
Apple has a 3.6% shareholding stake
in Imagination Technologies and like Intel it has been steadily
increasing its technology links with Imagination over the last 12
months resulting in a full technology licence for its PowerVR 3D
graphics accelerator.
Intel may want to take control of the PowerVR SGX processor
architecture which would give it the embedded graphics capability
it needs.
But it knows any takeover bid is likely to result in a wider
bidding war for the UK graphics company.