Worldwide Microprocessor Revenue Rises 12 Percent In Q3

The study also showed PC microprocessor average selling prices (ASPs) at their highest since Q1 2008.

Microprocessors containing integrated graphics processors (IGP), such as Intel’s Sandy Bridge and AMD’s Fusion series, sold especially well, accounting for 73 percent of total PC processor unit volume in the third quarter of 2011.

"The average selling price (ASP) that OEMs pay for PC microprocessors rose more than 5 percent in 3Q11," said Shane Rau, director of Semiconductors: Personal Computing research at IDC in a statement, "and it was the eighth quarter in a row that ASPs rose. Clearly, Intel's Sandy Bridge and AMD's Fusion microprocessors with integrated graphic processors are rising in each company's product stack and driving the price increase. At the same time, low-end processors, notably Intel's Atom processors, are declining as a percentage of the unit mix."

Intel saw the highest volume of microprocessor units shipped in its history in Q3, and earned 80.2 percent overall worldwide unit market share, an increase of 0.9 percent from Q2.

In comparison, AMD earned 19.7 percent overall worldwide unit market share, a loss of 0.7 percent since Q3.

AMD did, however, see growth within the mobile PC processor segment, finishing at 17.6 percent after a gain of 2.4 percent. Intel earned 82.3 percent in the mobile space, a loss of 2.1 percent.

Despite strong Q3 revenue, client PC processor demand has declined "modestly" since June 2011, IDC notes in its study.

This decline – coupled with a grim macroeconomic outlook due to Europe’s debt and US unemployment rates – has led IDC to reduce its client PC processor (desktop, mobile, x86 server) unit growth forecast from 9.3 to 7.3 percent for the remainder of 2011.