PC Chip Sales Rose 13.2% in 2011 (INTC, AMD)

Sales of microprocessors for personal computers rose 13.2% year-over-year in 2011 according to data released today by International Data Corp. (IDC). Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) grabbed 80.1% of global market share and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) claimed 19.7%. Taiwan’s VIA Technologies took 0.2%.

For Intel, the 2011 market share fell by -0.6% year-over-year, while AMD gained 0.7% and VIA lost 0.1%. Sequentially, Intel’s share in the fourth quarter rose by 0.1% to 80.6% and AMD’s share fell -0.1%.

In the mobile (laptop) market, both Intel and AMD were unchanged sequentially, with 82.3% and 17.6% shares, respectively. In the PC server/workstation market, Intel’s dropped -0.8% to 94.3% share and AMD gained 0.8% for a 5.7% share. In desktop PCs, Intel gained 0.3% for a 76.1% share, while AMD dropped -0.3% to a 23.8% share.

Concerning 2012 shipments, IDC had this to say:

IDC’s forecast for PC microprocessor unit shipment growth in 2012 is 5.1%. Since the end of 2011 and through the first quarter of 2012 so far, IDC observes that the hard disk drive shortage that caused PC OEMs to cut back on advanced purchases of PC microprocessors has improved. IDC now believes that the HDD shortage will not be a significant factor in PC shipments in 2Q12. Combined with improving job growth in the United States and stabilization of sovereign debt issues in Europe, IDC may raise this growth rate modestly after the close of 1Q12.

The drop from a 13.2% annual growth rate to a 5.1% annual growth rate is notable, and very likely reflects the expected increase in purchases of tablets. Neither Intel nor AMD yet plays a significant role in that market.

Paul Ausick