Texas Instruments has extended its PowerVR MBX Lite graphics engine licence, the chip maker said today.

TI signed (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/04/09/texas_instruments_licenses_powervr/) its first PowerVR MBX licence in April 2003, partnering with the graphics core's UK-based developer, Imagination Technologies. The results of the deal were announced (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/02/25/ti_builds_graphics_hardware_into/) less than a year later, in February 2004, when TI unveiled its OMAP 2 processor core, which incorporates the PowerVR technology.

A year on, and TI wants to develop further mobile OMAP 2 family members which it also plans to add PowerVR MBX Lite to. The Lite version is pitched at battery-powered machines like phones, PDAs and handheld consoles, whereas the regular MBX core is intended for systems connected to the mains, such as set-top boxes, Internet appliances and the like.

Chip maker Freescale last week sub-licensed (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/28/freescale_licenses_powervr_mbx/) PowerVR MBX Lite through Imagination licensee and mobile processor developer ARM. Indeed, that connection with ARM has helped Imagination become one of the leading suppliers of low-power graphics core technologies to device vendors. However, that leadership is increasingly being challenged by lesser-known players, such as Falanx and Bitboys, and established graphics chip makers Nvidia and ATI.

Other PowerVR MBX licensees include Intel, Sharp, Hitachi, Samsung and Philips. ®

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