The META is a 32-bit multithreaded microprocessor developed by Metagence Technologies Division from Imagination Technologies.^[1] First version of META were developed in 2001 as META-1 multithreaded DSP core aimed for audio, radio and video processing.^[2] META HTP core family was announced in 2007 and is based on META-2 architecture.^[3][4] META is designed to support between one and four independent hardware threads, which typically operate concurrently on separate tasks. Despite the shared processing resources, each execution unit maintains a local register state, an execution pipeline, and a program counter (PC) for each thread to accommodate multiple thread contexts.^[5]

META family consists of Meta HTP applications processors (400–700 MHz on 65L – 65G process^[3]), META MTP Embedded Processors and Meta LTP Embedded Microcontrollers.^[6]

It is supported by the Linux kernel as of version 3.9.^[7][8][9]

In 2018 March, LWN.net reported that Imagination Technologies redirected its focus away from Meta after its purchase of MIPS Technologies in 2012. This has led to a proposal on Linux development mailing lists to remove support for the architecture from the kernel which became effective with the release of Linux 4.17 in June 2018.^[10][11]