Imagination Technologies Says Apple Will No Longer License Its Graphics Processors And Instead Will Develop Its Own

British chip designer Imagination Technologies said Monday that Apple no longer plans to license its graphics processors for its devices and instead has been developing its own independent graphics chips.

"Apple has used Imagination’s technology and intellectual property for many years. It has formed the basis of Graphics Processor Units in Apple’s phones, tablets, iPods, TVs and watches," said Imagination Technologies in a statement. "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."

Imagination Technologies, which has provided its PowerVR graphics processors in Apple products like the iPhone and iPad, relies on Apple licensing for about half its revenue.

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The company said that Apple will discontinue using its graphics designs in devices within 15months to two years from now.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

Apple and Imagination Technologies have a long history – last year, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company confirmed rumors in a March 2016 filing that it was considering acquiring the graphics company. While no acquisition was announced, Apple holds an 8 percent share in Imagination Technologies.

Imagination Technologies, for its part, said in a statement that it would be " extremely challenging to design a brand-new GPU architecture from basics without infringing its intellectual property rights."

’Apple has not presented any evidence to substantiate its assertion that it will no longer require Imagination’s technology, without violating Imagination’s patents, intellectual property and confidential information," said Imagination in the statement. "This evidence has been requested by Imagination but Apple has declined to provide it."