AMD now ships more than 30% of x86 PC CPUs as Intel's long-held lead keeps shrinking

AMD has recently claimed a significant milestone in the x86 client CPU market, surpassing the 30% share held by Intel. According to Mercury Research, AMD's market share reached 30.3% in Q2, up from 29.6% in the previous quarter. Intel, on the other hand, maintains a 69.7% share. This surge in AMD's dominance marks a 6.4% increase in just one year, compared to 23.9% in Q2 2025.

The rise in AMD's market share is attributed to growth in both desktop and mobile processors. While AMD had already surpassed the 30% threshold in terms of revenue, the current figure covers unit shipments into the supply chain. The strong performance can be attributed to an unexpectedly robust quarter for processor shipments, with total market growth exceeding 10% sequentially.

JPR noted that the strong client CPU growth was higher than normal seasonal trends, which usually indicate a slight decline. Some of the growth can be attributed to OEM inventory rebuilding, rather than pure demand strength. The memory crisis is still impacting the market, causing higher DRAM and SSD prices, which has made new PCs and upgrades more expensive, particularly in the DIY market.

AMD's client business generated $3.1 billion during Q2, a 23% year-over-year increase. CEO Lisa Su reported that Ryzen Pro sales grew by more than 50% year-over-year, as the company secured new enterprise customers. However, it's important to note that the 30.3% figure only includes x86 processors and does not account for Arm processors, such as Apple Silicon and Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips.