AMD increased its share across all markets served by x86 processors at Intel's expense in the third quarter of 2025, according to Mercury Research. Intel is holding strong, and as its latest offerings for client and server systems got significantly more competitive than they were several quarters ago, the pace of AMD's gains has slowed down considerably. However, during the quarter, AMD achieved two important milestones: it now commands shipments of over 25% of all x86 CPUs, and it now ships over 33% (one-third) of desktop x86 CPUs.
Abnormal market performance: Shipments of x86 CPUs flat quarter-over-quarter
Normally, we start our coverage of the x86 market based on data from Mercury Research with client CPUs, but the third quarter was very unusual as unit shipments of x86 CPUs were flat quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), which significantly contradicts the normal seasonal bump when PC makers start to prep for the back-to-school (BTS) season in June – July as well as Christmas season in September.
Indeed, PC and server makers increased their CPU procurements in Q3, but the weakness came almost entirely from Intel, which saw sharp drops in IoT/SoC and entry-level mobile processors as it shifted manufacturing capacity toward server processors, and strong shipments of such parts in Q2. By contrast, AMD's unit shipments were flat to slightly up, so the company gained share sequentially and year-over-year (YoY), hitting two psychologically important milestones.
For the first time in years, AMD's unit share of all x86 client and server CPUs shipped exceeded 25% and now stands at 25.6%, up from 24.2% in the prior quarter and up from 24% in the same quarter a year ago. Intel still commands 74.4%, but it lost some share in certain segments, allowing AMD to hit an important milestone amid a market shrink.
If we add embedded, IoT, and game consoles SoCs to the equation, then AMD's share looks even more impressive: a 30.9% share of all x86-based chips, up from 25% in the third quarter of 2024. While Intel maintains its dominant position with 69.1%, its 5.9% YoY share loss does not look very good. Yet, it should be noted that AMD shipped significantly more game console SoCs in the third quarter this year compared to the third quarter of 2024, which inflated its results a bit.
Client CPUs: AMD maintains market share
Strong desktop and mobile CPU lineups as well as Intel struggles with supply of small-core mobile CPUs and prior-generation desktop offerings allowed AMD to slightly outgrow Intel in the third quarter both sequentially and year-over-year, according to data from Mercury Research.
(Image credit: Data by Mercury Research, Compiled by Tom's Hardware)
AMD's client unit share rose to 25.4%, up 1.5% QoQ and 1.4% YoY, driven mainly by strong desktop momentum. By contrast, Intel's share fell to 74.6%, down 1.5% sequentially and 1.4% compared to the same quarter a year ago, as its entry-level mobile shipments were constrained by reduced small-core CPU supply. Although Intel still dominates in total volume, Q3's numbers reflect the ongoing pressure on its mobile PC shipments and AMD's sustained improvement in desktops.
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