Imagination Technologies has decided to exit the RISC-V CPU market to redirect its resources to the development of its GPU and AI products. This was reported by eeNews Europe following an interview with the company:
Imagination exited its standalone line of CPUs to increase our investment in graphics, AI and compute at the edge which we believe is transformational for our business
[…] We remain committed to the RISC-V ecosystem and believe this change to our business allows us to partner more easily with the wider ecosystem as providers of the GPU of choice for RISC-V
The company announced its entry into RISC-V IP core in 2021 with the introduction of the Catapult 32-bit and 64-bit RISC-V CPU cores, followed by the 32-bit RTXM-2200 real-time core in 2022, and the cost-optimized APXM-6200 RISC-V core was introduced last year.
But all those RISC-V CPU cores are gone and won’t be found on the company’s website now only showing GPU, AI & Computer, and Ray Tracking products and solutions instead. Old-timers may remember that Imagination purchased MIPS and launched microAptiv, interAptiv and proAptiv MIPS Cores in 2012, but the MIPS architecture is now mostly dead, and Imagination had to sell MIPS (the company) which now makes RISC-V cores. History takes a fun turn of events sometimes… I don’t expect Imagination to come back to the CPU IP market any time soon after two failed attempts in less than 15 years.
As quoted in the introduction, Imagination has not fully given up on the RISC-V market as a whole, since we’ll still find their embedded GPUs in RISC-V SoC designed with partners such as the StarFive JH7110 with Imagination BXE-4-32 GPU or ESWIN EIC7700X with an Imagination AXM-8-256 GPU. Since I’ve yet to see a RISC-V SoC with Arm Mali, I suppose the only real 3D graphics options for RISC-V chips are Imagination and Vivante GPUs unless something comes up.
eeNews Europe also reports that Simon Beresford-Wylie, Imagination’s CEO, plans to retire soon, and the company is reportedly up for sale.
Via Tom’s Hardware
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
They won’t be missed.