PC CPU shipments grew nearly 22% in Q4 amid robust laptop and desktop sales

In context: After several quarters of steep decline, global PC sales returned to growth in Q4, 2023, as desktop and laptop shipments rose to more than 65 million units worldwide. A new report now reveals that the positive market sentiments and improved PC sales helped processor makers like Intel and AMD increase their CPU shipments both sequentially and year-over-year.

According to Jon Peddie Research, global client PC CPU shipments reached 66 million units in the fourth quarter of 2024, marking a seven percent increase over Q3 and an impressive 22 percent rise compared to Q4 2022. During the same period, iGPU shipments increased to 60 million units, suggesting that the vast majority of the CPUs sold came with integrated graphics. According to the report, iGPU sales grew by seven percent sequentially and 18 percent year-over-year.

Laptops have long been the preferred mode of computing for most consumers, as demand for notebook processors has outstripped desktop CPU sales for years. The latest data indicates that this trend is now becoming even more pronounced. In Q4 2022, desktop processors accounted for 37 percent of the market, but constituted only 30 percent of shipments during the same period last year, as mobile CPUs increased their market share from 63 percent to 70 percent.

The research also predicts a significant growth in iGPU penetration in client PCs, reaching 98 percent. This suggests that more people are expected to purchase PCs for general purposes rather than specialized GPU-intensive tasks like gaming, video editing, or 3D modeling. However, the research doesn't specify whether the gamer/enthusiast market will shrink in the coming years or if overall growth will be robust enough to allow both segments to grow simultaneously.

The report also provides a market share breakdown for Intel and AMD in the iGPU segment. As expected, Intel has the lion's share of the market, accounting for 84 percent, while AMD controls the remaining 16 percent. However, this represents a slight decline from Q4, 2022, when Intel's iGPU share stood at 87 percent, while AMD accounted for just 13 percent.

Interestingly, while client PC CPU sales increased year on year during the last quarter, server CPU shipments nosedived. According to the report, server CPU shipments in Q4 2023 increased by 2.8 percent sequentially from the previous quarter but were down by 26 percent from Q4 2022.