Jon Peddie Research has published second quarter graphics statistics that defy its previously modest expectations. In a May report, the firm announced an unusual 10.3% increase in graphics shipments between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011. That's much higher than the period's average change of -4%.

That activity prompted a cautious outlook for the second quarter, as the outfit believed vendors might have been stocking up on parts, leading to a lull through the summer months as manufacturers burned their existing inventory. Besides that, the second quarter traditionally sees a dip in GPU sales – but not this year.

Second quarter shipments have increased 6.3% sequentially – nearly double the ten-year average of 3.5%. Once again, JPR expressed concern over the hiccup in seasonal trends, suggesting that companies are still hoarding components. If true, it could inevitably lead to unusually weak performance in the third or fourth quarters of 2011.

JPR estimates that 84 million computers shipped worldwide in the second quarter, up 2.4% from the prior quarter. Unsurprisingly, Intel maintained its dominant market share. In fact, chipzilla's shipments grew 19.6% sequentially with a share of 60.7% as its Sandy Bridge processors (which have an IGP) stole shares from AMD and Nvidia.

Vendor Q2 2011 Share Q1 2011 Share Qtr-Qtr Unit Change Qtr-Qtr Share Change
AMD 21.2% 24.7% -7.3% -13.9%
Intel 60.7% 54.7% 19.6% 11.0%
Nvidia 17.5% 19.9% -5.3% -12.1%
Matrox 0.04% 0.0% -8.3% -14.9%
SiS 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
VIA/S3 0.5% 0.7% -20.1% -25.8%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 7.7% 100.0%
 

Despite having a strong showing earlier this year courtesy of its Fusion chips, AMD's graphics shipments fell 7.3% sequentially as its share fell 13.9% in the second quarter with a slice of 21.2%. Nvidia's cut was even smaller at 17.5%, though its overall second quarter performance was a tad better with shipments dropping 5.3% on-quarter.

Interestingly, Nvidia's discrete graphics business fared quite well in the recently passed quarter with its market share increasing 30% sequentially, and that's largely attributed to design wins in Sandy Bridge-based notebooks. Matrox, SiS, and S3 (who was recently purchased by HTC) accounted for the remaining fraction of a percent.