Imagination包辦GPU IP五成市佔，一年來漲幅達55%

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科技研調機構Jon Peddie Research(JPR)22日發表最新研究報告指出，Imagination Technologies Group plc是2011年GPU IP市場的最大贏家，掌握高達50%的市佔率。Imagination 22日持平，收695.50便士；過去一年漲幅高達54.87%。Imagination 21日收盤價(703便士)創歷史收盤新高。英國金融時報去年6月指出，蘋果(Apple Inc.)持有Imagination Technologies 10%股權。

8 B% o3 p/ l, rJPR統計顯示，2011年GPU IP市場市佔排名依序為Imagination(50%)、Qualcomm(33%)、Vivante(5%)、ARM(3%)、DMP(3%)、Takumi(3%)、NVIDIA(3%)。JPR指出，蘋果(Apple Inc.)、德州儀器、高通(Qualcomm)以及三星(Samsung)這4家應用處理器領導廠商當中，就有3家採用Imagination的GPU IP。GPU主要是整合在行動裝置的系統單晶片(SoC)應用處理器當中。
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Imagination執行長Hossein Yassaie 3月8日指出，Imagination的專利技術在手機、平板、電視機以及汽車市場掀起了智慧裝置風潮。Imagination表示，拜客戶發表新品以及耶誕節假期銷售強勁之賜，全年度可望繳出不錯的財報成績。

6 ?2 r$ `# y# W# b' S2 t% M" [$ b高通目前是應用處理器SOC最大供應商，採用自家的GPU IP技術。此外，NVIDIA、ZiiLabs也是採用自家的GPU IP技術。
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其他外購GPU IP技術的SOC廠商還包括炬力集成(Actions Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)、飛思卡爾(Freescle)、華為、Ingenic、瑞芯(Rockchip)、威信科電(Wonder Media/VIA)。JPR指出，這些原本主攻功能手機的SOC廠商已開始跨入智慧型手機以及平板市場。

Imagination日前發表原本代號「Rogue」的PowerVR系列6家族產品，並且表示已有8家廠商取得授權(包括ST-Ericsson、德州儀器、瑞薩、聯發科以及蘋果、英特爾、三星)。
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Imagination Technologies去年12月公佈，上半年度(截至2011年10月31日為止)新增技術授權客戶包括晨星(3697)、Ricoh、高通、瑞芯。此外，Imagination也與下列既有夥伴簽訂新協議/展延舊協議：瑞昱(2379)、聯發科(2454)、Sony、英特爾(Intel)、瑞薩(Renesas)、三星(Samsung)、Sigma。
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Vivante是第二大行動裝置IP GPU供應商(市佔率為8%)；採用Vivante技術的產品主要是基於Marvell Armada與PXA通訊處理器架構。PXA920晶片獲華碩(2357)、華為、聯想、三星、中興等Android TD智慧型手機供應商採用。

anandtech.com日前指出，蘋果A5X雙核心處理器可能是雙核心Cortex A9搭配PowerVR SGX543MP4(出自Imagination Technologies)。iPad2採用的A5處理器內建的PowerVR是SGX543MP2。

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Chances are your mobile device is running with PowerVR graphics
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TIBURON CA 23 March, 2012—Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry’s research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, announced estimated mobile devices graphics chip shipments for 2011. Mobile devices include smartphones, tablets, cameras, vehicles, and game consoles.
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The market for smart mobile devices is soaring. Mobile devices are not necessarily replacing the PC, but they are outselling PCs. Increasingly mobile devices have a graphics processor and those processors are integrated in the device’s system on a chip (SoC) application processor.

The application processors are made by a dozen plus semiconductor manufacturers including Broadcom, Intel, Marvell, MediaTek, Nvidia, ST-Ericson, Renesas, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Samsung, and others. All these companies fall into one of two categories, vertically integrated, and IP buyers.

Nvidia, Qualcomm and ZiiLabs are the vertically integrated companies with their own GPU designs; all the others buy GPU IP from one of five IP suppliers, ARM, DMP, Imagination Technologies, Takumi, and Vivante.
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, F4 E; q2 A" Q/ z+ h  M$ OThe exceptions to this tidy categorization are Broadcom and Samsung which buy IP and also have an internal GPU design. Apple makes an SoC, but does not sell it commercially.


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% K% o' g* c* a) ]: B! C2 s0 {The leading high volume suppliers of application processors (i.e., SoCs) are Apple, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and Samsung. Three of the four use Imagination Technologies’ GPU IP. Those companies, plus several others who use Imagination Technologies IP puts Imagination Technologies as the industry leader in supplying GPU IP, vertically integrated or otherwise.
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However, of the SoC suppliers, Qualcomm is the clear leader. So Imagination sells more IP to several SoCs, but Qualcomm is the largest SoC supplier, and uses their own GPU design.


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Other SoC suppliers buying GPU IP include Actions Semiconductor, Freescale, Huawei, Ingenic, Rockchip, and Wonder Media/VIA. These companies have products in the feature phone market; some are just entering the smartphone and tablet segment.
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We expect the market share to be shift dramatically through 2012 as the existing players get more aggressive, customers lose share, and two new IP companies to enter the market.
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Imagination recently announced the first products in its PowerVR Series 6 family, previously codenamed "Rogue." The company also said it has eight licensees for Series 6 cores including: ST-Ericsson, Texas Instruments, Renesas and MediaTek (plus JPR believes Apple, Intel, and Samsung). This is along with MStar, Ricoh and Rockchip, joining existing partners like Sony, Sigma and Realtek for the company’s PowerVR Series5 family.

Vivante is the surprising number two in IP GPU suppliers. Products incorporating Vivante technologies are based on the Marvell Armada and PXA communications processor. The PXA920 ships in mass market China Mobile OMS and Android TD smartphones from ASUS, Huawei, Lenovo, Samsung, ZTE and many others. Vivante’s other licensees include Texas Instruments, Freescale, HiSilicon, Ingenic, Rockchip, and many more. We are including in our definition of “mobile”: Smartphones, high-end feature phones, Tablets, Portable Game consoles, Cameras, and vehicles. Plenoptic cameras with interactive performance using GPUs and embedded cameras with GPUs like Lytro and Ximea will show up this year.
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8 m0 r: h7 i6 \. yWe did not include Navigational units because we could not find many that used a GPU. We are specifically excluding TVs, STBs, DVD players, watches, MP3 players, and digital picture frames. No doubt as GPU IP prices drop and the quest for differentiation continues, combined with everything being on-line all the time, and the internet of things, GPUs will find their way into these other devices. But, it didn’t happen in 2011.
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