AMD grabbed a record 30.7 percent of x86 CPU shipments in the second quarter, knocking Intel’s slice below 70 percent for the first time in 31 years.
Mercury Research’s tally, reported by CRN, shows Intel at 69.3 percent, down 6.5 points year over year, with AMD gaining the same amount. Including semicustom, embedded, and IoT parts, Intel’s share narrows to 65.9 percent.
Servers show the same shift. AMD’s data center CPU share rose 7.3 points year over year to 34.5 percent; by Mercury’s adjusted accounting, which counts embedded parts Intel includes and AMD does not, the gap nearly closes at 53.6 percent to 46.4 percent.
None of this reflects weak demand for Intel. Its data center group grew revenue a record 59 percent year over year in the second quarter, and industry-wide server CPU shipments expanded nearly 20 percent. AMD just shipped even faster, helped by console and embedded wins.
Mercury’s Dean McCarron confirmed the 31-year low to CRN. Intel pointed to its data center record and client momentum, and a US systems integrator that works with both vendors said Intel’s channel teams have stepped up their engagement after a stretch in which AMD commanded more of its attention.
