EMEA server market 'barely positive' in Q1

Global market buoyed by strong US sales as EMEA lags behind

The EMEA server market grew just one per cent annually in the first quarter of this year, according to Gartner, despite the global market experiencing its nearly best-ever quarter.

In Q1, global server shipments grew 13 per cent annually to 2.67 million while revenue generated from the kit jumped 17.9 per cent to $13.4bn (£8.7bn) over the same period.

The figures represent the strongest shipment growth in almost five years and it was the second-largest volume quarter ever.

"The market was driven by particularly strong demand from the hyperscale area, which benefited North America in particular," said Gartner research director Adrian O'Connell.

"This comes at a time when other regions are struggling, due to price pressure driven by the appreciation of the US dollar. The strength in North America was strong enough to offset declines in Latin America and Japan. EMEA was barely positive, with one per cent volume growth."

The regions with the highest growth rates in terms of unit shipments in Q1 were North America (22.9 per cent), the Middle East and Africa (20.8 per cent), and Asia-Pacific (13.6 per cent), Gartner added.