Worldwide PC microprocessor revenues in the third calendar quarter of 2011 (3Q11) rose to $10.7 billion, up 12.2 per cent compared to 2Q11 and up 16.1 per cent compared to 3Q10, according to the latest PC microprocessor market share study from International Data Corporation (IDC). On a unit basis, the PC microprocessor market rose 6.7 per cent compared to 2Q11 and rose 5.2 per cent compared to 3Q10.

The average selling price (ASP) that OEMs pay for PC microprocessors rose more than 5per cent in 3Q11. It was the eighth quarter in a row that ASPs rose. Intel’s Sandy Bridge and AMD’s Fusion microprocessors with integrated graphic processors are rising in each company’s product stack and driving the price increase. At the same time, low-end processors, notably Intel’s Atom processors, are declining as a percentage of the unit mix.

Intel’s Sandy Bridge and AMD’s Fusion microprocessors contain integrated graphics processors (IGP). IDC’s tracking of these processors indicates that processors with IGP rose to 73 per cent of total PC processor unit volume in 3Q11.

3Q11 Vendor Highlights

In 3Q11, Intel earned 80.2 per cent overall worldwide unit market share, a gain of 0.9 per cent compared to 2Q11. In 3Q11, AMD earned 19.7 per cent, a loss of 0.7 per cent compared to 2Q11. VIA Technologies earned 0.1 per cent, a loss of 0.2 per cent.

In 3Q11 by form factor, Intel earned 82.3 per cent share in the mobile PC processor segment, a loss of 2.1 per cent, AMD finished with 17.6 per cent, a gain of 2.4 per cent, and VIA earned 0.1 per cent. In the PC server/workstation processor segment, Intel finished with 95.1 per cent market share, a gain of 0.6 per cent, and AMD earned 4.9 per cent, a loss of 0.6 per cent. In the desktop PC processor segment, Intel earned 75.8 per cent, a gain of 4.8 per cent, and AMD earned 24.1 per cent, a loss of 4.8 per cent.

2011 and Long-Term Market Outlook

Since June, client PC processor demand growth has slowed down modestly. Combined with a weak macroeconomic outlook—due to sovereign debt issues in Europe and poor job growth in the United States—IDC is reducing its client PC processor (desktop, mobile, x86 server) unit growth forecast for 2011 from 9.3 per cent to 7.3 per cent.