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Processor market back on form

by on26 January 2010

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IDC and Mercury Research say things are getting better


Beancounters
at IDC and Mercury Research have added up the figures, divided by their shoesize and come up with the notion that processor market is back on track after having a bad time in the recession.

Shipments in the fourth quarter in 2009 showed seasonal increases over the previous quarter, and significant growth over the fourth quarter in 2008. In addition, shipments of server processors also grew in the fourth quarter. All of this is an indication that businesses may be starting to buy systems again.

IDC said processor shipments in the fourth quarter for 2009 jumped 31.3 percent over the same period in 2008, and grew seasonally over the third quarter in 2009. For all of 2009, PC processor shipments grew 2.5 percent, but revenue fell 7.1 percent, to $28.6 billion. IDC analyst Shane Rau said the huge rise in shipments indicates that the market has put the recession behind it.

Mobile and server processors are driving the surge. Shipments for mobile chips—used in such devices as netbooks—grew 11.7 percent over the third quarter, while shipments of x86 processors jumped 14.1 percent over the third quarter. Desktop processors grew 4.8 percent over the third quarter.

Dean McCarron of Mercury Research said that chip makers shifted more than 100 million PC processors for the quarter, and mobile processor shipments exceeded 50 million. He said that the industry recovery has been well underway throughout 2009 but server and desktop CPUs still have not reached the record levels seen in mid-2008, prior to the collapse in processor demand.

The processor market grew 9 percent in the fourth quarter over the third quarter, which Mercury Research said mirrored traditional seasonal patterns. Year over year, shipments in the fourth quarter grew almost 34 percent.
Last modified on 26 January 2010
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