What Imagination Technologies does

Imagination Technologies is a UK-based semiconductor intellectual property company founded in 1985 and headquartered in Kings Langley, England. The company designs and licenses GPU IP under the PowerVR brand, now in its 13th generation, serving semiconductor companies and OEMs that integrate the IP into their chips. Its product portfolio spans the E-Series (flagship on-device AI and graphics), D-Series, C-Series (IMG CXM), B-Series, and A-Series GPUs, plus the DXTP GPU for power-constrained mobile devices and the IMG DXD GPU IP targeting PC, workstation, and cloud graphics with Microsoft DirectX support. Differentiated technical features include the world's first hardware-based ray tracing for mobile, ISO 26262 functional safety certification for automotive, and dedicated AI inference cores for edge AI workloads. The company's primary markets are automotive (cockpit and infotainment), mobile devices (smartphones), consumer electronics, and — most recently — data centre and desktop computing.

The company operates a licensing-and-royalty business model: customers such as Google (Tensor chips for Pixel), MediaTek (Dimensity chipsets), and Oppo license PowerVR GPU IP for integration into their silicon, with Imagination earning upfront licensing fees, technical support revenue, and per-unit royalties tied to chip shipment volumes. Distribution is executed through direct enterprise field sales and an ecosystem of technology partners including AWS, Epic Games, The Linux Foundation, and NetEase Games. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated directly with semiconductor customers.

Imagination is privately held, acquired in 2017 by private equity firm Canyon Bridge, and received a $100 million convertible term loan from Fortress Investment Group in 2025 to fund growth. In January 2025, the company shut down its RISC-V processor core development (Catapult family) to concentrate on GPU and AI products. Markus Mosen was appointed CEO in February 2026, succeeding Simon Beresford-Wylie, and the company divested its Hemel Hempstead data centre to Stellanor in April 2026 under a sale-and-service-back arrangement. Canyon Bridge is reportedly considering a sale of the company.

Name

Imagination Technologies

Legal name

Imagination Technologies

Website

https://imgtec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Imagination Technologies is a UK-based semiconductor IP company that designs and licenses the PowerVR GPU architecture (13th generation) to chipmakers and OEMs for mobile, automotive, consumer electronics, and PC/cloud applications, with growing emphasis on edge AI inference acceleration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor IP (GPU)

NAICS

Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413), Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Compute & Acceleration ICs (CPU/GPU/AI/FPGA/ASIC) (HDAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hardware/Chip Design IP Cores (Processor, Interface, Analog, Security) (HDAHAFAF), AI Hardware IP & Chiplet/Packaging for Accelerators (EDA/IP, advanced packaging) (HDAAAAAL), PC Components for Gaming (GPUs, CPUs, Motherboards, RAM, PSUs) (MPAFAGAD)

Keywords

• GPU IP licensing
• Semiconductor IP
• Edge AI acceleration
• Graphics processor cores
• PowerVR architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Kings Langley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. GPU IP Licensing: Imagination licenses its PowerVR GPU IP to semiconductor companies who integrate the technology into their chips. Licensing agreements are typically structured as technology licensing contracts with semiconductor manufacturers.
2. Royalties from Chip Shipments: The company earns royalties based on chip shipments containing its IP, providing recurring revenue tied to end-market volume growth in mobile, automotive, and AI chips.
3. Technical Support and Professional Services: Provides engineering support, integration services, and customization to help licensees implement GPU IP effectively in their semiconductor designs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Imagination Technologies designs and licenses GPU intellectual property (IP) cores under the PowerVR brand, which semiconductor companies integrate into their system-on-chips for graphics, AI inference, and parallel compute workloads. Its portfolio spans the flagship E-Series GPU, the DXTP core for power-constrained mobile devices, the IMG DXD GPU IP for desktop and cloud, and supporting technology such as hardware-based mobile ray tracing, ISO 26262 functional safety IP, edge AI acceleration, and a Design Optimisation Kit, sold to chipmakers and OEMs in automotive, mobile, consumer electronics, and data center markets.

Product overview

Imagination Technologies is a semiconductor intellectual property (IP) company offering a comprehensive portfolio of GPU IP solutions for graphics processing and AI acceleration at the edge. The product portfolio centers on the PowerVR GPU architecture, now in its thirteenth generation, available across multiple product series (E, D, C, B, A) serving markets from mobile devices to automotive and data centers. The E-Series represents the flagship solution for on-device AI and graphics, while the DXTP GPU focuses on power-constrained devices. The company provides complete solutions including ray tracing technology, functional safety features, software solutions, and design optimization tools. Key technology offerings include Edge AI & Compute acceleration, Graphics Processing, Ray Tracing, Functional Safety, Open Access programs, and the Design Optimisation Kit. The IP targets four key markets: Automotive (cockpit and infotainment systems), Mobile Devices (smartphones), Consumer Electronics, and Data Centre & Desktop Computing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PowerVR: GPU IP brand for graphics processing, including the E-Series, D-Series, C-Series, B-Series, and A-Series GPU product lines
• IMG DXD

Products and services

• E-Series GPU Flagship GPU IP series designed for on-device AI and graphics acceleration. Establishes the GPU as the principal accelerator for both graphics and AI workloads at the edge, delivering massive gains in AI inference performance for power-constrained devices. Licensed to semiconductor companies building chips for mobile, automotive, and edge AI applications.
• D-Series GPU GPU IP series for high-performance graphics and compute applications. Part of the multi-generational PowerVR GPU portfolio serving various market segments from mobile to automotive. Licensed to chipmakers needing advanced graphics processing performance.
• C-Series GPU (IMG CXM GPU) GPU IP series optimized for mainstream mobile and consumer applications, targeting cost-effective graphics solutions with balanced performance and power efficiency. Licensed to mobile SoC designers and consumer electronics OEMs.
• B-Series GPU GPU IP series providing scalable graphics processing capabilities for embedded and mobile applications with optimized area and power characteristics. Licensed to embedded and IoT chip designers.
• A-Series GPU Entry-level GPU IP series within the PowerVR portfolio, designed for ultra-low-power applications requiring basic graphics and AI acceleration capabilities. Licensed to chipmakers of cost-sensitive wearables, IoT, and consumer devices.
• DXTP GPU GPU IP designed specifically for smartphones and other power-constrained devices. Redefines graphics and compute acceleration with focus on performance efficiency for mobile applications. Licensed to mobile SoC designers targeting high performance density at low power.
• IMG DXD GPU IP GPU IP line targeting desktop, workstation, and cloud graphics markets with DirectX 11 support. Represents Imagination's focused re-entry into the PC graphics market, aimed at ambitious graphics card and SoC design companies.
• Edge AI & Compute IP AI acceleration IP leveraging the GPU architecture for vision, inference, and on-device intelligence. Enables efficient, flexible AI compute for power-sensitive edge devices with parallel architecture and open software stack. Licensed to chipmakers building edge AI silicon.
• Hardware Ray Tracing IP The world's first hardware-based ray tracing IP for mobile devices, enabling realistic lighting and reflections in graphics rendering. Licensed as part of the GPU IP portfolio to mobile and embedded chipmakers seeking cinematic graphics quality on power-constrained devices.
• Functional Safety GPU IP Safety-certified GPU IP for automotive applications, providing functionally safe graphics and compute processing meeting ISO 26262 safety standards. Licensed to automotive SoC vendors and tier-1 suppliers for cockpit, infotainment, and ADAS visualization systems.
• PowerVR Software Solutions Comprehensive software ecosystem supporting graphics and AI development on Imagination GPUs, including drivers, development tools, optimization utilities, and the Open Access software stack. Provided alongside GPU IP licenses to enable licensee integration.
• Design Optimisation Kit Design optimization toolkit enabling efficient implementation of Imagination GPU IP in semiconductor designs, helping partners optimize for performance, power, and area during silicon implementation. Licensed to chipmakers integrating PowerVR cores.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% single-core CPU performance uplift with ARM C1 cores
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OppominorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOppo is an ecosystem partner and customer using Imagination GPU IP in their smartphone products.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ARM Holdings: ARM is the dominant fabless semiconductor IP licensor, licensing processor IP to chipmakers. Highly comparable to Imagination as both monetize through IP licensing royalties tied to chip shipments, and both serve overlapping customer bases (mobile, automotive, IoT).
• VeriSilicon: VeriSilicon licenses GPU, VPU, NPU, and DSP IP cores to semiconductor companies. Direct competitor to Imagination's GPU IP business with overlapping customer base in mobile and edge AI, and similar IP licensing royalty model.
• Synopsys: Synopsys offers DesignWare semiconductor IP including processor, interface, and analog IP blocks. Comparable to Imagination as a broad-based semiconductor IP licensor, though Synopsys is significantly larger and more diversified.
• Cadence Design Systems: Cadence provides semiconductor IP including Tensilica DSP and controller IP alongside its EDA tools. Comparable to Imagination as an IP licensor serving chip designers in mobile, automotive, and edge markets.
• CEVA, Inc. CEVA licenses DSP, AI, and connectivity IP cores to semiconductor and OEM customers. Comparable business model to Imagination with IP licensing royalties, targeting similar edge AI, automotive, and consumer electronics markets.
• Think Silicon: Think Silicon develops ultra-low-power GPU and AI IP for embedded displays and edge devices. Direct competitor to Imagination's lower-tier (B/A-Series) GPU IP for IoT, wearables, and consumer markets.

Broad incumbents

• NVIDIA: NVIDIA dominates the GPU market with over 70% share, primarily selling discrete GPUs and integrated SoCs rather than licensing IP. While not a direct IP licensing competitor, its scale and dominance in edge AI and automotive (DRIVE) shape the competitive context for Imagination's IP business.

Others

• Qualcomm: Qualcomm develops the Adreno GPU IP internally for its Snapdragon SoCs. Represents an in-house alternative that smartphone OEMs can choose over Imagination-licensed solutions, and a similar consumer of GPU IP design talent.
• Apple: Apple was Imagination's largest customer before transitioning to in-house GPU IP post-2017. Represents the most prominent example of a customer verticalizing GPU IP and a key indicator of the strategic risks facing IP licensors.

Emerging players

• SiFive: SiFive commercializes RISC-V-based processor IP for AI and edge applications. An emerging competitor in the open-architecture IP space; notably Imagination shut down its own RISC-V efforts in 2025, ceding this emerging vector to players like SiFive.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imaginationtech
• GitHubgithub.com/Imagination-Tech
• Facebookfacebook.com/ImaginationTech
• Instagraminstagram.com/imagination.tech
• Pinterestpinterest.com/imaginationtech
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ImaginationTech
• Xx.com/ImaginationTech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A7 records

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Imagination Technologies