Taiwanese motherboard manufacturers are preparing for a significant reduction in shipments for 2026. Major brands including ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock are drastically cutting their production targets. This decline marks a sharp reversal from the previous year's performance levels.
RAM and storage now account for over 30% of total build costs
ASUS shipped approximately 15 million motherboards in 2025. The company now forecasts that it will struggle to maintain shipments above 10 million units in 2026. This projected drop highlights the severity of the market contraction facing the industry.
Hardware costs have surged, fundamentally altering the economics of PC building. RAM and storage now account for over 30% of total build costs, up from just 15% previously. Many laptop manufacturers have responded to these increased component prices by raising retail prices by 10 to 20 percent.
Chipmakers divert production capacity away from consumer CPUs
The semiconductor industry is prioritizing high-margin server processors for AI infrastructure. Chipmakers like Intel and AMD are diverting production capacity away from consumer CPUs to meet demand for Xeon and EPYC processors. This shift has created shortages in the consumer market and driven up prices for motherboard brands.
AI server demand is becoming a primary revenue source for motherboard makers, offsetting declines in consumer hardware sales. Meanwhile, rumors suggest that NVIDIA will not release the RTX 60 series until 2028. The company has not announced major upgrades to the RTX 50 series for 2026.
Discussion
0 comments
Log in to join the thread with a thoughtful take, question, or correction.