Until now, the graphics chips in iPhones haven’t actually been developed by Apple. That’s about to change, though, and the company that had been making the chips is reeling.
Apple now is developing its own graphics processors, which will be used in future products, including the iPhone. The news was announced Monday by Imagination Technologies, the company that currently makes the graphic chips for the iPhone.
“Apple has asserted that it has been working on a separate, independent graphics design in order to control its products and will be reducing its future reliance on Imagination’s technology,” the company said in a statement.
The U.K.-based company said Apple will stop using its products sometime within the next two years. Following the announcement, Imagination Technologies’ stock fell 69 percent, according to CNET.
Developing its own processors could be tricky for Apple, however.
“Imagination believes that it would be extremely challenging to design a brand new GPU architecture from basics without infringing its intellectual property rights,” Imagination said.
Imagination said it asked Apple for evidence it can make processors without violating patents, but that Apple still hasn’t provided any. Apple currently is Imagination Technologies’ largest customer, according to CNET.
Thumbnail photo via Pexels
