Global server sales up across all segments

IDC reports growing demand in Q1 across SMB, mid-size and large enterprise customers

Worldwide server sales were up 12.1 per cent in the first quarter due to improving demand, according to market watcher IDC.

IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker found that factory revenue in the worldwide server market increased 12.1 per cent year over year to $11.9bn (£7.3bn). Improved market conditions were seen across all three server classes – volume, mid-range enterprise and high-end enterprise.

Matt Eastwood, group vice president for enterprise platforms at IDC, said: "Meaningful enterprise infrastructure refresh occurred across all geographies in the quarter. Although the public sector weakened, worldwide demand for servers across hosters, SMBs and enterprise customers remained strong."

Eastwood added that this was the fourth consecutive quarter with double-digit year-over-year revenue growth as the market recovery extended from x86 servers to mid-range Unix to high-end mainframe class systems for the first time in nearly three years.

"This is evidence that heterogeneous systems remain critically important to customers addressing a wide range of workload needs in their datacentres," he said.

Market demand appears to be on the mend. IDC recorded that server unit shipments increased 2.5 per cent year over year in Q1 to 1.9 million units, the second-highest quarterly total ever reported in the first calendar quarter of any year IDC has analysed in this way.

Volume system sales expanded 8.7 per cent in revenue terms year over year, the sixth consecutive quarter of positive growth for the segment. Mid-range enterprise demand improved for the third time in the past four quarters, with a sharp 28.3 per cent year-over-year revenue surge.

IDC also found that the high-end enterprise segment rose 14.2 per cent in revenue terms, compared to the year-ago quarter.

"This is the first time in eight quarters that all three segments of the server market have experienced a year-over-year revenue increase in the same quarter," said Eastwood.

HP held the top spot, taking 31.5 per cent of the market, led by demand for x86-based ProLiant servers and Itanium-based Integrity servers.

IBM came in at number two, taking a 29.2 per cent share which was driven by sales of its Power Systems, System z servers and x86-based System x servers.

Dell remained in third place, with 15.6 market share by factory revenue, led by SMB sales.