AMD’s rise in the laptop processor market continues, chipping away at Intel’s dominance. According to Stocklytics.com, AMD’s market share reached nearly 22% by the third quarter of 2024, while Intel’s share dropped by 20% to 71.9%. This marks a significant shift from previous years when Intel held a near-monopoly.
Historically, Intel held a commanding 91% market share from the third quarter of 2016 to the second quarter of 2019, while AMD held a mere 8%. However, the tide began to turn in the latter half of 2019, with AMD’s share steadily increasing. The latest figures highlight the continued momentum of AMD’s Ryzen processors, which have gained popularity for their performance and price competitiveness.
Edith Reads, a financial analyst at Stocklytics, attributes Intel’s market decline to manufacturing delays, giving AMD an opportunity to capture a larger share of the market. Intel has struggled with its 10-nanometer node process, which has hampered its production capabilities. In response, Intel has opted to outsource production of its upcoming Lunar Lake laptop CPUs to TSMC, aligning its technology with AMD’s new 3nm process laptop chips.
Beyond laptop processors, Intel is also working to close the technology gap with TSMC’s offerings. Intel is set to release its Intel 20A node for Arrow Lake desktop CPUs this year, followed by the Intel 18A node next year. Panther Lake, scheduled for release in 2025, will also use Intel 18A nodes.
However, Intel is facing new challenges with its latest Raptor Lake CPUs. Initial reports of instability issues with desktop processors have now extended to laptops. Users have reported crashes and performance drops, particularly in demanding applications like gaming. These issues persist despite the latest firmware and BIOS updates, suggesting a potential flaw in the CPU design.
Intel acknowledges a limited number of instability reports regarding its 13th and 14th Gen mobile processors. While they maintain that the mobile versions are not affected by the same problem as the desktop versions, they advise users experiencing issues to contact their system manufacturers for assistance. The reported symptoms may stem from various software and hardware issues, underscoring the complexities of addressing stability issues in advanced computing systems.
The competition between Intel and AMD is fierce, and this dynamic is likely to continue shaping the laptop processor market in the coming years. Both companies are investing heavily in research and development, pushing the boundaries of processor technology. Consumers stand to benefit from these advancements, with improved performance and efficiency, as well as a wider range of choices and competitive pricing.
