In base ai risultati di uno studio condotto dall'agenzia International Data Corporation (IDC), il numero di processori per PC commercializzati nel mondo e il
fatturato ad essi connesso sono aumentati nel secondo trimestre del 2010 (2Q10) rispettivamente del 3.6% e del 6.2% rispetto al trimestre precedente
dello stesso anno.
Qualora si analizzino i dati relativi alla distribuzione delle quote di mercato fra i tre maggiori player del settore, ovvero Intel, AMD e VIA, nella stessa
finestra di osservazione, il secondo trimestre del 2010, emerge il predominio netto di Intel, che può vantare uno share di 80.7 punti percentuali
(quest'ultimo risulta, ad onor del vero, in calo rispetto al primo trimestre, allorquando è stato pari a 81 punti percentuali).
In leggera crescita è invece la quota di mercato di AMD, che è passata dal 18.8% del 1Q10 al 19% del 2Q10, mentre svolge un ruolo come al solito marginale
VIA Technologies, alla quale spetta uno share pari allo 0.3% del mercato mondiale.
IDC sottolinea inoltre la buona performance di AMD nel comparto delle cpu per i sistemi mobile, dove la sua quota è passata dal 12.1% del Q1 al 13.7% del Q2. Nello
stesso segmento Intel ha fatto registrare uno share di 86.1 punti percentuali, con una perdita di circa 1.7 punti percentuali rispetto al Q1.
I rapporti di forza si ristabiliscono qualora si considerino, invece, i segmenti relativi ai processori per desktop e a quelli per server e workstation: Intel infatti
ha fatto registrare nel Q2 una quota pari al 72.2% nel comparto dei desktop, con un increase pari allo 0.5% rispetto al trimestre precedente, e uno share pari al 93.5% in quello delle cpu per server e workstation (in questo caso il miglioramento è ancora più marcato, essendo pari al 3.3%).
AMD, dal canto suo, ha conseguito una quota pari al 27% nel mercato dei desktop e al 6.5% in quello dei server e delle workstation; in entrambi i casi il delta rispetto al primo trimestre è in negativo. Più in dettaglio, il calo di share è pari rispettivamente a -0.7% e -3.3%.
Worldwide PC microprocessor unit shipments and revenues in the second
calendar quarter of 2010 (2Q10) increased 3.6% and 6.2%, respectively, compared
to the first quarter of 2010, according to the latest PC processor study from
International Data Corporation (IDC).
The average
sequential change in unit shipments between a calendar year's first quarter and
its second quarter is an increase of 1.6%. For revenues, the average sequential
change is a decrease of -2.8%. So, these increases represent better performance
than usual for a second calendar quarter.
"Such a
sequential increase in PC processor shipments alone would have been enough to
conclude that the first half was strong for the market," said Shane Rau
director of Semiconductors:
Personal Computing research at IDC. "However, a modest rise in
revenues, too, points directly to a rise in average selling prices. System
makers bought more and higher-priced PC processors in 2Q10 than in 1Q10.
Digging a little deeper into the numbers shows that they bought more mobile processors
and more server processors, while desktop processors remained flat."
Looking at
market performance by PC form factor, mobile PC processor unit shipments rose
6.5% quarter over quarter, PC server processors rose 6.1% quarter over quarter,
and desktop PC processors declined -0.1% quarter over quarter.
2Q10 Vendor Highlights
For the
overall worldwide PC microprocessor market in 2Q10, Intel earned 80.7% unit
market share, a loss of 0.3%, while AMD earned 19.0%, a gain of 0.2%, and VIA
Technologies earned 0.3%.
In 2Q10 unit
share by form factor, Intel earned 86.1% share in the mobile PC processor
segment, a loss of -1.7%. AMD finished the quarter with 13.7%, a gain of 1.6%,
and VIA earned 0.2%. In the PC server/workstation processor segment, Intel finished
with 93.5% market share, a gain of 3.3% and AMD earned 6.5%, a loss of 3.3%. In
the desktop PC processor segment, Intel earned 72.2%, a gain of 0.5%, AMD
earned 27.3%, a loss of -0.7%, and VIA earned 0.5%.
Market Outlook
IDC's
forecast for worldwide PC processor unit growth in 2010 is 19.8%. However,
market demand for processors weakened during the second quarter and is expected
to remain weak in August. "Major OEMs cut PC build orders with their
contract manufacturers who, in turn, have cut orders for commodity components,"
said Rau. "While the PC processor vendors re-iterated their solid outlook
during their most recent earnings calls, the softness we've seen ultimately
makes us concerned for end demand's pull on processors. Likely, the second half
of the year will be seasonal given the early build for Intel's Sandy Bridge and
AMD's Fusion architecture launches, but lower than the year-over-year growth
seen in the first half of the year. 2011 remains a wildcard in terms of
sustainable unit growth."
The IDC
report, Worldwide
PC Microprocessor 2Q10 Vendor Shares (IDC #224571), provides worldwide
market share results for PC processor vendors on an overall unit and revenue
basis, as well as by form factor (desktop, mobile, and x86 server).
Source: International Data Corporation (IDC) Press Release
Links
