Due to the tariff uncertainty in the second quarter, the increase in CPU shipments was quite substantial and saw about 7.9% growth from Q1 to Q2 this year.
Client CPU Shipments Increased from Nearly 62 Million to Over 67 Million in the Previous Quarter; Server CPU Shipments Also Saw a Decent Jump With Around 22% Growth YoY
Early in April this year, when the Trump administration announced a baseline 10% tariff on nearly all imports, a lot of hardware and consumer electronics manufacturers panicked, importing as much as they could to ship to the US while the pause continued for about three months. Luckily, a lot of electronic goods were exempted, including semiconductors, PCs, smartphones, and chips, irrespective of their origin.
The uncertainty brought by the tariffs still led to the growth in the overall PC market, giving a boost in PC shipments as well as individual components like CPUs. This is what Jon Peddie Research confirms with its latest CPU shipments data, which reveals that the second quarter of 2025 saw an unusual 7.9% growth in overall Client CPU shipments. Usually, the first two quarters are flat when it comes to growth in shipments, but the increase seen in the Client CPU shipments is likely a result of the uncertainty created by the tariffs and would affect future shipments as well.
We think the PC CPUs’ growth was accelerated by the coming tariffs, and to a much lesser extent, by AI PCs,
- Jon Peddie, President of JPR
For the server segment, the CPU shipments rose by 0.6% quarter over quarter and 22% year over year, making decent progress in the server market as well. Intel is still leading with 73% of the total share, but AMD increased its share by 25% to 27% compared to last year, improving roughly by 8%. According to AMD, it is now ahead in all segments, delivering superior performance, and therefore, a higher share in both Client and Server segments shouldn't be surprising.
As far as CPU shipments in the current and next quarter are concerned, Trump's new 100% tariffs on the chips could be a problem for both Intel and AMD. Computer chips that are being produced in the US will be exempted from it, and Intel's new fabs in the country could help it escape heavy tariffs. AMD, on the other hand, still gets its CPUs fabbed by TSMC in Taiwan, and while TSMC is exempted by the new tariff, it doesn't necessarily give AMD a free pass. Unless AMD decides to start its own fabs in the US, it could attract 100% tariffs on its CPUs, drastically increasing the prices, affecting both its leverage in the market and consumer appeal.
News Source: Jonpeddie
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