Motherboard sales collapse 25%+ as AI chips crowd out PC parts
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- Asus has shipped just over 5 million motherboards in the first half of 2026 after selling 15 million in all of 2025, and is projected to move only 10 million units this year — a 33% year-on-year decline.
- Gigabyte revised its 2026 forecast down to 9 million boards from 11.5 million in 2025, a 22% drop, while MSI cut its target to 8.4 million from 11 million, a 24% contraction.
- ASRock faces the steepest hit: shipments projected to fall 37%, from 4.3 million in 2025 to 2.7 million in 2026.
- Nvidia, Intel, and AMD have reduced consumer-chip production to manufacture more AI processors, with memory and storage shortages driving up PC component prices across the board for six months.
- Compounding factors cited: AMD sticking with the AM5 socket, Intel's Nova Lake (LGA 1954) not arriving until later in 2026, no RTX 50 Super refresh this year, and the RTX 60 series reportedly not debuting until 2028.
- Asus, Gigabyte, and ASRock have partially pivoted some production to AI servers to capture hyperscaler data-center spending, softening the blow to their bottom lines.
- Retailers are reportedly offering motherboard discounts to clear inventory, though the savings don't offset higher memory, storage, and processor prices.
Why it matters: The four-firm 28% contraction signals that the AI buildout isn't just starving one component category — it's gutting the DIY PC upgrade cycle, forcing enthusiasts to hold hardware longer while the same motherboard makers hedge by selling into the AI server market that displaced their core customers.
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