Imagination Technologies designs GPU intellectual property (IP) and licenses it to chipmakers; it is not currently established as a maker of retail graphics cards. Its partners integrate Imagination designs into their own chips, which can then appear in cars, phones, wearables, PCs and other devices. The company’s current pitch is that those GPUs can handle graphics alongside compute and edge-AI workloads. That is a strategic direction—not proof of a completed comeback or independently verified performance leadership.
What does Imagination Technologies actually make?
Imagination develops semiconductor IP, including GPU designs, and licenses that technology to companies that make chips. The chipmaker integrates the licensed design into a system-on-chip (SoC), which may then be used by a device manufacturer. As a result, a product can use Imagination technology without carrying the Imagination name or containing a separately sold Imagination graphics card. The company says its licensed silicon ships in cars, phones, wearables and PCs (Imagination Technologies; company overview).
That business model matters when assessing announcements: an IP license, a partner’s chip, a demonstration and a shipping end-user product are different stages. A named partnership can show where a design is intended to fit, but it does not by itself establish that a particular consumer product is available.
What is the company trying to change?
Imagination’s current public positioning puts graphics and edge AI/compute at the center of its GPU story. The company presents its GPUs as suitable for running AI on power-constrained devices and cites programming interfaces including Vulkan and OpenCL. These are descriptions of intended capabilities, not independent benchmarks or evidence that AI workloads have displaced CPUs or dedicated neural-processing units in products.
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On 8 May 2025, Imagination announced E-Series, a new GPU generation intended to bring graphics and on-device AI together (company newsroom). In September 2026, its newsroom described performance data and demonstrations as evidence for a “GPU-first strategy”: one processor and software stack addressing graphics, compute and AI. That is the company’s characterization of its demonstrations. The available announcement evidence does not support repeating a specific performance figure as an independently verified comparison.
The strategic bet is broader than rendering graphics: a GPU already built into an SoC could also serve selected compute and AI tasks, particularly where integration and power use matter. Whether that is attractive to chipmakers depends on workload, software support, power and product economics; the public positioning alone does not establish adoption at scale.
Why is Imagination involved in cars?
Automotive is the clearest recent named example of the licensing model. On 10 March 2025, Imagination announced that its GPU IP powers Renesas R-Car Gen 5 SoCs, describing the technology as automotive-grade (Imagination newsroom). This is an IP-integration announcement; it does not identify a specific vehicle model as shipped with the technology.
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In a January 2025 interview, Jake Kochnowicz, then Imagination’s chief revenue officer, said: “Automotive is definitely still the strong one for us. We continue to see traction there.” He also described automakers as seeking more differentiated designs rather than relying on a single supplier’s platform. Those remarks convey the executive’s view of customer demand, not an independently measured market result (Jon Peddie Research interview).
Automotive is a plausible fit for licensed graphics IP because vehicle systems can combine visual interfaces and other compute workloads in integrated chips. But the relevant evidence should be read at the right level: a supplier announcement shows a design relationship, not sales volume, vehicle availability or market share.
Is PowerVR still used?
PowerVR is the name associated with Imagination’s GPU technology. The company continues to present GPU IP as a core business, and its newer E-Series announcement is evidence of ongoing product development. Named examples help establish that the licensing model has real applications, but they do not show how widespread use is across current devices.
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- Renesas R-Car Gen 5: Imagination announced GPU IP integration in March 2025; the announcement does not establish a specific shipped vehicle.
- StarFive VisionFive 2: Imagination’s newsroom archive records an August 2022 announcement that StarFive selected an Imagination GPU for its RISC-V single-board computer. It is a historical example, not confirmation of current retail availability (Imagination newsroom archive).
These examples support a precise answer: Imagination GPU IP has been selected for partner hardware, and the company continues developing GPU families. They are not a device-by-device inventory or proof of broad present-day adoption.
Does Imagination make graphics cards for PCs?
There is no confirmed retail graphics-card launch established by the cited announcements. Tom’s Hardware reported in March 2026 that Imagination was working with graphics-card and SoC design companies on desktop, workstation and cloud graphics, and that it had shown DirectX 11 workloads (Tom’s Hardware). That points to renewed ambition and technical demonstrations, not a consumer product launch or parity with established discrete-GPU suppliers.
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Imagination has a longer graphics history that includes PowerVR and the Dreamcast era, followed by a greater focus on mobile. Current desktop and cloud work therefore signals an attempt to broaden the company’s reach, but prospective buyers should distinguish demonstrations and design work from a product that is announced, available and independently reviewed.
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What changed in leadership and focus?
Imagination announced Markus Mosen as CEO, effective immediately, on 9 February 2026. Executive chairman Ray Bingham said the board was committed to growing Imagination into a defining semiconductor IP provider for graphics and AI at the edge, adding that this began with ensuring the company had the right leadership. Mosen said, “It’s a privilege to join Imagination at this moment.” Both statements were in the company’s release announcing his appointment (Imagination newsroom).
The company’s focus had also narrowed from an earlier CPU effort. A January 2025 Jon Peddie Research interview reported that Imagination ended development of its RISC-V CPU effort in 2024 to concentrate on GPUs and AI. That history helps explain the current emphasis, but it does not establish that every CPU-related activity or customer commitment ended.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should readers judge the strategy?
Imagination’s opportunity is easiest to assess by separating its route to market from the workload it is targeting. A license announcement is not the same evidence as a shipping product, and a vendor demonstration is not the same as an independent comparison.
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| Question | What the current evidence shows | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| How does it sell? | It develops and licenses GPU IP for integration into other companies’ chips. | A line of Imagination-branded retail graphics cards. |
| Which workloads are emphasized? | Graphics, compute and edge AI are central to current company positioning and E-Series demonstrations. | That AI has replaced CPUs or NPUs in shipping devices. |
| Where is there a named recent partner example? | Renesas R-Car Gen 5 automotive SoCs, announced in March 2025. | A named vehicle model, shipment volume or market share. |
| How strong is the PC-graphics evidence? | March 2026 reporting described desktop, workstation and cloud work, including DirectX 11 demonstrations. | A confirmed mass-market launch or independent performance parity. |
| How does performance compare with competitors? | The cited material establishes company positioning, announcements and demonstrations. | A comparable independent benchmark against Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm or Arm Mali GPUs. |
For customers and investors alike, the practical question is whether licensed designs move from announcements into partner chips and real products, and whether those products meet their workloads and commercial needs. The cited material does not supply independent market-share figures or comparable benchmark results, so claims of leadership or a completed turnaround would go beyond what it establishes.
What is known about Imagination’s financing?
Fortress Investment Group announced a $100 million convertible term loan investment in Imagination on 24 July 2024 to support continued development of its technology and IP (Fortress announcement). That dated financing announcement does not establish Imagination’s present financial position or ultimate ownership, nor whether the loan has since been converted or repaid.
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