Qualcomm licensing PowerVR display IP from Imagination Technologies

Qualcomm is joining a long list of companies doing business with Imagination Technologies, confirming to EE Times that it has licensed the company’s PowerVR display intellectual property. Perhaps best known for its GPUs — used in products like the iPad 2, Droid X, and iPhone 4S — Information Technologies is also expected to fuel the graphics performance of many upcoming Windows 8 tablets (Texas Instruments is already a licensee). The Qualcomm deal is not for these same graphics products, however: it is strictly based around the company’s display technologies, designed to “ensure the highest visual quality” on a variety of different screens. With Qualcomm struggling to make its own Adreno GPUs competitive in this space, however, it could be the first step towards a much more involved relationship between the two companies. “We really like them as a customer,” an Imagination Technologies spokesman said. “We’re delighted to have Qualcomm’s business and hope it leads to something more.”