Looking up
Market researcher IDC has released its worldwide quarterly server tracker and, while it confirms the market contracted by 18.9 percent, by revenue, in 2009, it also indicates that things are on the up, with Q4 only declining by 3.9 percent year-on-year.
As ever, all comparative Q4 numbers have to be viewed in the context of the global recession only really kicking off in Q4 2008 after it all went Pete Tong at Lehman, but nonetheless these figures offer grounds for optimism in the server market and for an overall improvement in business spend this year.
Volume (low-end) systems experienced the sharpest recovery, with mid-range next and high-end lagging. "Market conditions improved significantly in the fourth quarter as the marketplace transitioned from recent stability to growth in several critical server segments. Customers are actively re-evaluating their IT needs and refreshing their infrastructures, and the fourth quarter represents the beginning of a market inflection," said Matt Eastwood, group VP of IDC's enterprise server group.
"While many customers sat on the sidelines during 2009, significant innovation continued as server vendors prepared for an expanding market opportunity in 2010 and beyond. Optimal conditions for market inflection occur only once a decade and IDC believes that market shares could shift dramatically as the winners and losers of this new market cycle are determined, with those who are best positioned to meet increasingly sophisticated IT needs across the market gaining share."
Here are tables for Q4 and annual server market for the top five vendors. "In 2009, x86 servers captured more than 55% of all server revenue and more than 96% of all server units shipped worldwide," said Dan Harrington, research analyst. Vendors also managed to grow blade revenue over the course of the year.
Top 5 Corporate Family, Worldwide Server Systems Factory Revenue, Fourth Quarter of 2009 (Revenues are in Millions)
|
Vendor |
Q4 2009 |
Market |
Q4 2008 |
Market |
Revenue Growth |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. IBM |
$4,590 |
35.4% |
$4,910 |
36.4% |
-6.5% |
|
2. HP |
$3,950 |
30.5% |
$3,920 |
29.1% |
0.8% |
|
3. Dell |
$1,489 |
11.5% |
$1,425 |
10.6% |
4.5% |
|
4. Sun |
$1,032 |
8.0% |
$1,247 |
9.3% |
-17.3% |
|
5. Fujitsu |
$595 |
4.6% |
$556 |
4.1% |
7.2% |
|
Others |
$1,296 |
10.0% |
$1,422 |
10.5% |
-8.9% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Vendors |
$12,952 |
100% |
$13,480 |
100% |
-3.9% |
Top 5 Corporate Family, Worldwide Server Systems Factory Revenue, Full Year 2009 (Revenues are in Millions)
|
Vendor |
2009 |
Market |
2008 |
Market |
Revenue Growth |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. IBM |
$14,191 |
32.9% |
$16,937 |
31.8% |
-16.2% |
|
2. HP |
$12,885 |
29.9% |
$15,759 |
29.6% |
-18.2% |
|
3. Dell |
$5,226 |
12.1% |
$6,196 |
11.6% |
-15.6% |
|
4. Sun |
$3,825 |
8.9% |
$5,373 |
10.1% |
-28.8% |
|
5. Fujitsu |
$2,186 |
5.1% |
$2,508 |
4.7% |
-12.8% |
|
Others |
$4,848 |
11.2% |
$6,453 |
12.1% |
-24.9% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Vendors |
$43,162 |
100% |
$53,226 |
100% |
-18.9% |
IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, February 2010
