Editing PowerVR (section)

{{Short description|Brand of graphics hardware and software}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}
'''PowerVR''' is a division of [[Imagination Technologies]] (formerly VideoLogic) that develops hardware and software for 2D and [[3D rendering]], and for [[video encoding]], [[video decoding|decoding]], associated [[image processing]] and [[DirectX]], [[OpenGL ES]], [[OpenVG]], and [[OpenCL]] acceleration. PowerVR also develops [[AI accelerator]]s called Neural Network Accelerator (NNA).

The PowerVR product line was originally introduced to compete in the desktop PC market for [[Graphics card|3D hardware accelerators]] with a product with a better [[price–performance ratio]] than existing products like those from [[3dfx Interactive]]. Rapid changes in that market, notably with the introduction of [[OpenGL]] and [[Direct3D]], led to rapid consolidation. PowerVR introduced new versions with [[low-power electronics]] that were aimed at the [[laptop computer]] market. Over time, this developed into a series of designs that could be incorporated into [[system-on-a-chip]] architectures suitable for [[handheld device]] use.

PowerVR accelerators are not manufactured by PowerVR, but instead their [[Semiconductor intellectual property core|IP blocks]] of [[integrated circuit]] designs and [[patent]]s are licensed to other companies, such as [[Texas Instruments]], [[Intel]], [[NEC Corporation|NEC]], [[BlackBerry]], [[Renesas Electronics|Renesas]], [[Samsung]], [[Sony]], [[STMicroelectronics]], [[Freescale]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imaginationtech.com/news/imagination-and-apple-sign-new-agreement/|title=Imagination and Apple Sign New Agreement - Imagination|date=2 January 2020 |access-date=2022-09-03}}</ref> [[NXP Semiconductors|NXP Semiconductors (formerly Philips Semiconductors)]], and many others.