Mercury Research: AMD's share of x86 client CPU shipments tops 30% for the first time, hitting 30.3% in Q2, up from 21.1% two years earlier, vs. Intel's 69.7% (Michael Kan/PCMag)

For the first time, AMD's share of the x86 client CPU market has surpassed the 30% mark, according to Mercury Research. In Q2, AMD's share reached 30.3%, a significant increase from 21.1% two years prior. Intel's share of the market stood at 69.7%. This milestone was marked by AMD's desktop CPU shipments also crossing the 30% threshold in recent quarters.

AMD's mobile processors accounted for 28.9% of the x86 shipments in Q2. Despite AMD's gains, the processor market is facing new competitors like Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek, who have introduced Arm-based processors for laptops. Mercury Research estimates that Arm-based PC client CPU share for Q2 2026 is at 15.3%, a 0.9 point increase and a new record high.

However, the desktop x86 CPU shipments have been on a steep downward trend, resulting in a "large on-year downturn of over 20%." The report attributes this decline to a memory crunch, causing prices for RAM, storage, and even high-end graphics cards to skyrocket, which in turn negatively impacts end demand for desktop PCs and CPUs.