Workstation and professional graphics market feels the pain in Q1’15

The first quarter did little to cheer vendors of workstations and professional graphics processing units (GPUs). While first quarters are cyclically down more often than not, Q1’15 posted workstation and professional GPU shipment numbers that fell substantially deeper than normal. Industry watcher Jon Peddie Research reported that the industry shipped approximately 912.4K workstations in Q1’15, equating to a sequential decline of 11.7% and a more modest 3.5% year-over-year decline. The professional GPU industry, primarily composed of the Nvidia/AMD duopoly, saw similarly glum results, with worldwide shipment total of approximately 1.014 million units in Q’15.