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Nvidia increased everything in Q3 2016. Total GPU shipments up a whopping 20.4%, from last quarter

Nvidia’s market share increased 2.2% from last quarter and 0.4% from last year, Intel lost 1.6% market share from last quarter, and AMD’s overall share decreased 0.6%, from last quarter

Robert Dow

This is the latest report from Jon Peddie Research on the GPUs used in PCs. It is reporting on Q3'16 results.

The PC market rose in Q3 from the previous quarter, but declined from the same quarter last year. The quarter to quarter gain was largely due to gaming as well as data center sales. PC suppliers are seeing growth in gaming desktops and notebooks, and hope this will offset the slowdown in overall PC shipments. while they are high ASP systems, the two segments combined can only contribute a few million unit shipments a year, less than the decline of the total PC market.

Overall GPU shipments (rounded up) increased 20% from last quarter, AMD increased 15% Nvidia increased 39% and Intel, increased 18%.

Year-to-year total GPU shipments increased 0.3%, desktop graphics decreased -4%, notebooks increased 3%.

If anyone doubted that the PC was the platform of choice for gaming, this quarter’s results will correct that misconception. The gaming market is lifting the entire PC market and has overwhelmed the console market.

Nvidia did particularly well in Q3’16, fueled by their Pascal-based product line and the rash of new AAA graphics-demanding titles.

The third quarter is typically the strongest from the previous quarter in the seasonal cycles of the past. For Q3'16 we saw an increase of 20.4% from last quarter, and the gain was above the ten-year average of 9.52%.

The three market leaders, AMD, Intel, and Nvidia all introduced new products in the first half of the year while the channel and OEMs sold off older inventory. Q3 saw the channel and OEMs restocking for the holiday season, and doing so with enthusiasm indicating a bullish attitude.

Quick highlights

  • AMD’s overall unit shipments increased 15.38% quarter-to-quarter, Intel’s total shipments increased 17.70% from last quarter, and Nvidia’s increased 39.31%.
  • The attach rate of GPUs (includes integrated and discrete GPUs) to PCs for the quarter was 146% which was up 14.96% from last quarter.
  • Discrete GPUs were in 34.84% of PCs, which is up 7.06%.
  • The overall PC market increased 8.09% quarter-to-quarter, and decreased -5.37% year-to-year.
  • Desktop graphics add-in boards (AIBs) that use discrete GPUs increased 38.16% from last quarter.
  • Q3'16 saw a decrease in tablet shipments from last quarter and saw notebook sales out sell tablets for the first time in three years.

The third quarter is, on average, usually up from the previous quarter as the channel and OEMs stock up for the holiday season. Judging by the big overall increase, those resellers are anticipating a strong demand in the 4th quarter.

GPUs are traditionally a leading indicator of the market, since a GPU goes into every system before it is shipped, and most of the PC vendors are guiding cautiously for Q4’16.

One thing to note, the Gaming PC segment, where higher-end GPUs are used, continues to deliver growth for PC makers. New gaming content and the promise of Virtual Reality help drive the demand for gaming desktops and notebooks.

The report contains the following content:

  • Worldwide GPU and PC Shipment Volume, 1994 to 2020.
  • Detailed worldwide GPU Shipment Volume, 1Q 2001 to 2Q 2016, and forecast to 2020.
  • Major suppliers: Detailed market share data-on the shipments of AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and others.
  • Financial results for the leading suppliers: Analysis of the quarterly results of the leading GPU suppliers
  • Market Forecasts: You will also be able to download a detailed spreadsheet and supporting charts that project the supplier’s shipments over the period 2001 to 2018. Projections are split into platforms and GPU type.
  • GPUs: History, Status, and Analysis.
  • Financial History from for the last nine quarter: Based on historic SEC filings, you can see current and historical sales and profit results of the leading suppliers.
  • A Vision of the future: Building upon a solid foundation of facts, data and sober analysis, this section pulls together all of the report's findings and paints a vivid picture of where the PC graphics market is headed.
  • Charts, graphics, tables and more: Included with this report is an Excel workbook. It contains the data we used to create the charts in this report. The workbook has the charts and supplemental information.

This research finds that global GPU market demand in Q3'16 increased from last quarter, and increased from last year, to 100.30 million units. In recent years, as the gaming ecosystem is shaping up, software and hardware developers, information service providers, and even governments have been attempting to unearth market opportunities coming from this new arena. However, global PC shipment volume is forecast to fall further.

The quarter in general
AMD’s shipments of desktop heterogeneous GPU/CPUs, (i.e., APUs,), for desktops decreased
-10% from the previous quarter. AMD's shipments were up 19.1% in notebooks. Desktop discrete GPUs increased 34.7% from last quarter, and notebook discrete shipments increased 23.0%. AMD’s total PC graphics shipments increased 15.4% from the previous quarter.

Intel’s desktop processor embedded graphics (EPGs) shipments increased from last quarter by 4.1% and notebook processors increased by 18.8%, and total PC graphics shipments increased 17.7% from last quarter.

Nvidia’s desktop discrete GPU shipments were up 39.8% from last quarter; and the company’s notebook discrete GPU shipments increased 38.7%, and total PC graphics shipments increased 39.3% from last quarter. It was one of, if not the best quarter in Nvidia’s history, which the company attributes to the strong acceptance and demand for its new Pascal line of graphics chips and boards. The company’s share price is at an all-time high.

Total discrete GPUs (desktop and notebook) shipments for the industry increased 35.6% from the last quarter, and increased 10.1% from last year. Sales of discrete GPUs fluctuate due to a variety of factors (timing, memory pricing, etc.), new product introductions, and the influence of integrated graphics. Overall, the CAGR from 2014 to 2017 is now -5%.

Ninety nine percent of Intel’s non-server processors have graphics, and over 66% of AMD’s non-server processors contain integrated graphics; AMD still ships integrated graphics chipsets (IGPs).

For those who wish to understand the PC market, an understanding of the highly complex technology and ecosystem that has been built around the GPU is essential to understanding the market’s future directions.

Graphics chips (GPUs) and chips with graphics (IGPs, APUs, and EPGs) GPUs shipments are a leading indicator for the PC market. At least one and often two GPUs are present in every PC shipped. It can take the form of a discrete chip, a GPU integrated in the chipset or embedded in the CPU. The average has grown from 1.2 GPUs per PC in 2001 to 1.46 GPUs per PC.

This detailed 54-page report will provide you with all the data, analysis and insight you need to clearly understand where this technology is today and where it's headed.

Our findings include discrete and integrated graphics (CPU and chipset) for Desktops, Notebooks (and Netbooks), and PC-based commercial (i.e. iPad and Android-based Tablets), or ARM-based Servers. It does include x86-based tablets, Chromebooks, and embedded systems.

Pricing and Availability

The Jon Peddie Research's Market Watch is available now in both electronic and hard copy editions, and sells for $2,500. Included with this report is an Excel workbook with the data used to create the charts, the charts themselves, and supplemental information. The annual subscription price for JPR's Market Watch is $5,000 and includes four quarterly issues. Full subscribers to JPR services receive Tech Watch (the company's bi-weekly report) and a copy of Market Watch as part of their subscription.

Click here to learn more about this major report, or to download it now. Or, for more information call 415/435-9368 or visit the Jon Peddie Research website at http://www.jonpeddie.com.
Contact Robert Dow at JPR ([email protected]) for a free sample of TechWatch.

About Jon Peddie Research
Dr. Jon Peddie has been active in the graphics and multimedia fields for more than 30 years. Jon Peddie Research is a technically oriented multimedia and graphics research and consulting firm. Based in Tiburon, California, JPR provides consulting, research, and other specialized services to technology companies in a variety of fields including graphics development, multimedia for professional applications and consumer electronics, high-end computing, and Internet-access product development. Jon Peddie'sMarket Watch is a quarterly report focused on the market activity of PC graphics controllers for notebook and desktop computing.

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Robert Dow, Jon Peddie Research
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