GPU shipments surged 12% despite weaker PC demand and higher memory costs — The takeaway: Discrete graphics processor shipments rose in the second quarter, defying a seasonal slowdown in the PC market and higher component costs tied to memory shortages. The increase is notable because the second quarter is typically slower than the first. It also comes as memory shortages have raised costs for PC makers and consumers, particularly for systems with high-end graphics hardware.appol
Standalone GPU shipments climbed 12.2% from the first quarter and 14.1% from a year earlier, according to Jon Peddie Research. The increase came as the broader client CPU market declined 1.1% year over year and desktop PC demand weakened.
Total consumer PC GPU shipments, including integrated graphics and discrete processors, reached 75.5 million units in the second quarter of 2026. That was up 10.4% from the previous quarter and 1.1% from the same period last year, JPR said.
Notebooks drove most of the growth. GPU shipments for laptops rose 16.8% quarter over quarter, while desktop GPU shipments fell 4%. The pattern matched the client CPU market, where mobile processor shipments increased while desktop CPU shipments dropped sharply from the first quarter.
JPR did not provide a unit total for discrete GPUs. Based on the company's reported attachment rates, Nvidia's market position and other shipment data, AMD, Intel, and Nvidia appear to have shipped about 20 million standalone GPUs during the quarter.
The research firm's figures do not show what drove the increase. It is unclear how much came from desktop graphics card sales, gaming notebooks, or other PC designs that include discrete GPUs. Still, the results suggest that demand for PCs with dedicated graphics held up better than demand for desktop systems overall.
Intel remained the largest supplier in the overall consumer PC GPU market thanks to the integrated graphics in its CPUs. Team Blue had a 56% share in the second quarter, according to JPR. Nvidia ranked second with 23%.
AMD held 21% of the consumer GPU market, up from 14% a year earlier. The gain was tied to increased shipments of its consumer CPUs, which include integrated Radeon graphics. It does not necessarily indicate a similar gain in AMD's standalone graphics card business.
More details should arrive later this month when JPR publishes its full desktop add-in-board report. It will provide market-share data for AMD, Intel, and Nvidia and should offer a clearer view of how the three companies performed in the discrete desktop GPU market.