Intel Foundation is to sell its 4.9% stake in UK-based chip maker Imagination Technologies, whose graphics processors have been a key component of Apple’s “iDevices” since the third-generation iPhone 3GS.
Apple remains both a shareholder and licensee of Imagination, having originally acquired a 3.6% stake in the business in 2008, which it has steadily increased to almost 10%. Last February, Apple and Imagination renewed their agreement for ‘multiple years’ and covering a variety of uses of Imagination’s Power VR Series 6 chips.
Analyst Comment
Of course, Imagination bought MIPS at the end of 2012 and that put Imagination into a CPU market rather than just selling cores for specific functions such as graphics and video. That could be part of the thinking at Intel. On the other hand, Intel Capital makes some of its own decisions, so it may not be to do with the competitive position. We’ll see if we can get a comment at MWC in a couple of weeks. (BR)
