Motherboard Sales Collapse 25%+ as AI Chip Production Crowds Out Consumer PC Components
Motherboard sales have collapsed by more than 25% year-over-year, driven by chipmakers (Nvidia, Intel, AMD) diverting manufacturing capacity from consumer CPUs and GPUs to AI processors. Shortages in memory, storage, CPUs, and GPUs are causing users to delay upgrades, directly hitting motherboard manufacturers.
Shipment Numbers (2025 Actual vs 2026 Forecast)
- Asus: 15M in 2025 → 10M in 2026 (33% drop). First half of 2026 only shipped ~5M.
- Gigabyte: 11.5M in 2025 → 9M in 2026 (22% drop).
- MSI: 11M in 2025 → 8.4M in 2026 (24% drop).
- ASRock: 4.3M in 2025 → 2.7M in 2026 (37% drop).
Root Cause
AI infrastructure buildout (especially agentic AI) is absorbing fab capacity for high-end CPUs and GPUs, causing 6-month lead times on consumer chips. PC makers face shortages of Intel and AMD CPUs, and even high-end Macs are affected. Entry-level PC market may 'disappear' by 2028, per analysts. Samsung and SK hynix warn AI-driven memory shortages could last through 2027.
Impact on Developers & Enthusiasts
- Expect fewer new motherboard launches and longer refresh cycles.
- Prices for DDR5, SSDs, and high-core-count CPUs continue rising.
- If you need a new build, order components early — lead times are stretching.
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