Krishna Yarlagadda, President of Imagination Technologies, is a technology aficionado. An electronics and gadget enthusiast by nature, Yarlagadda spends a lot of time pondering over things that the next generation consumer might need. And this helps in developing Intellectual Property (IP) that will go into future generations of consumer products.

With the world of computing getting more personalized and connected, consumer products will be increasingly designed to meet the needs and requirements of users based on their geographical location. "The technologies and standards that are needed to create the products of tomorrow differ widely depending on where one lives," observes Yarlagadda.

Yarlagadda believes that the greatest challenge facing semiconductor companies right now is finding new ways to grow in the current macro-economic environment. Tape-out costs are very high and companies are facing ever-increasing time-to-market pressure as consumer electronics cycles continue to shrink. According to Yarlagadda, companies that have a long-term strategy based on careful analysis of market trends and customer roadmaps will be able to stay competitive in this market.

"At Imagination Technologies, we focus on delivering solutions, whether it's a particular piece of IP for a chip or a complete solution in the form of a platform that customers can quickly deploy in their target market," remarks Yarlagadda. With this approach, Imagination Technologies is creating solutions like the PowerVR Vision IP Platform which incorporates a set of Imagination's graphics, camera ISP and video IP designed to work together optimally to produce a compelling platform for all vision processing requirements. This platform is apt for applications such as automotive, surveillance, and augmented reality. Yarlagadda explains that with such platforms, "We've also made it easy for customers to integrate their custom hardware or choose to license only particular elements of the platform individually."

This is in line with the market requirements that Imagination Technologies focuses on. Emphasis on customers' requirements enables them to solve key issues and is also one of the main reasons for their technology to receive accolades from leading chip companies. "Our strategy to focus on three main areas of IP multimedia, processors and connectivity has ensured our continued success," expounds Yarlagadda. "All of our technologies have the ability to be very efficient while delivering high performance." A case in point is MIPS processor cores that are ideal for products that require ultra low-power to run, compact silicon area and a high level of integration.

MIPS plays a key role in another of Imagination's platforms the Connected Processor IP Platform. As consumer electronics, electrical appliances, and many other devices are increasingly connected to the internet, connected processors are becoming critical. But designing a connected processor is no easy task, so Imagination did the hard work up-front by creating this platform that integrates their MIPS CPUs and Ensigma radio connectivity processors.
Imagination offers IP encompassing CPUs, connectivity, and multimedia including graphics, video, and vision. This breadth gives them a major advantage and also results in being able to develop partnerships across many industries.

In addition, Imagination's uniqueness lies in the creative manner they package their IP-from individual deliverables, through subsystems, to reference platforms. "We focus on the solutions our customers require as a springboard to differentiation, best time to market and compelling return on investment," notes Yarlagadda. "Now, as we enter the era of the Internet of Things, devices become even more diverse and computing becomes even more personal." As the world looks beyond the bracelets and watches of today, toward the wearable health monitoring patches and smart clothing of tomorrow, there is unlimited opportunity. "At Imagination, we are creating the technologies that will ultimately be used to create tomorrow's new products," concludes Yarlagadda.