Global GPU shipments see 37% year-over-year increase in Q2 2021

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • GPU shipments hit 123 million units in Q2'21, according to Jon Peddie Research.
  • That's a 37% year-over-year increase.
  • GPU shipments are up 3.4% compared to last quarter.

The market for the best graphics cards is stronger than ever, as evidenced by Jon Peddie Research's recent report on Q2 2021 GPU shipments. A whopping 123 million units were shipped in the second quarter of 2021, marking a 37% year-over-year (YoY) increase in shipments as well as a 3.4% bump compared to last quarter.

GPUs aren't alone, though. Last quarter, the best CPUs also saw an uptick in shipments to the tune of a large 42% increase YoY.

On the graphics cards front, Jon Peddie Research estimates the install base will "grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.5% during 2020–2025 to reach a total of 3,318 million units at the end of the forecast period." Over the next five years, JPR estimates, "the penetration of discrete GPUs (dGPU) in the PC will grow to reach a level of 25%."

JPR's report also includes a breakdown of GPU market share, split three ways between AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA. As of Q2 2021, AMD sits at 16.48%, Intel at 68.29%, and NVIDIA at 15.23%. These figures are based on unit shipments.

Gpu Infographic

Source: Jon Peddie Research (Image credit: Source: Jon Peddie Research)

Given the high demand for GPUs from a variety of markets, including the gaming sector, crypto sector, and a large amount of speculators currently gobbling up graphics cards, it's no surprise the shipment figures are what they are. The same goes for CPUs, to a lesser extent. And given the spike in PC sales thanks to the pandemic, it makes sense that the internal components would also be shipping at a higher rate.

Robert Carnevale

Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He's a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author of Cold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.