AMD’s share grows in server market, but Intel still ahead in x86

New data has claimed AMD recorded its fourteenth quarter of growth in the server market, marking more than three years of increases as the company now holds 17.5% of the market.

According to the company’s third-quarter earnings report, its data center business saw huge growth of 45% compared with this time last year, though the sum of this is still valued at just $1.6 billion compared with Intel’s much larger $4.2 billion in the same area.

Despite considerable advancements in the server market, AMD’s place in the broader x86 market experienced a less significant change, with a minor leap forward overall, and a slight dip in terms of x86 CPU share.

AMD, Intel, and Apple M-series

Dean McCarron of Mercury Research noted how, “the size of AMD’s gains this quarter isn’t consistent with historical trends and Intel likely had some inventory-related declines in their server results, which probably under-states Intel’s share of the end market.”

Similarly skewed figures are believed to be at play in Intel’s x86 position, which is said to be inflated in anticipation of suspected price hikes later this year, which has led to the stockpiling of chips at a slightly cheaper price.

Then, of course, there are Apple’s own M-series chips which made their debut in 2020. The tech giant’s entire Mac lineup (with the exception of the high-performance Mac Pro), along with its iPad Air and iPad Pro models, are now exclusively available with its own silicon, in turn reducing AMD and Intel’s market share significantly. 

Global economics aren’t without their effects, either, with overall server CPU sales down, along with poorer notebooks sales. McCarron also writes off the upturn in desktop sales in part due to seasonality.

Via The Register (opens in new tab)