Motherboard sales ‘collapse’ amid unprecedented shortages fueled by AI

受人工智能驱动的史无前例的短缺影响，主板销量“崩盘”

Motherboard sales are collapsing amid unprecedented shortages fueled by AI, causing prices for many major PC components to rise across the board during the past six months, with memory modules and storage drives leading the way.

受人工智能（AI）驱动的史无前例的短缺影响，主板销量正在崩盘。过去六个月里，许多主要个人电脑（PC）组件的价格全面上涨，其中内存模块和存储驱动器的涨幅尤为显著。

Those shortages are being exacerbated by chipmakers like Nvidia, Intel, and AMD, which have reduced production of consumer chips so they can manufacture more AI processors. The AI infrastructure buildout is also causing shortages for Intel and AMD CPUs (and even high-end Macs), as interest in agentic AI rockets through the roof.

英伟达（Nvidia）、英特尔（Intel）和 AMD 等芯片制造商加剧了这些短缺，它们减少了消费级芯片的产量，以便制造更多的 AI 处理器。随着对代理式 AI（Agentic AI）的兴趣激增，AI 基础设施的建设也导致了英特尔和 AMD CPU（甚至高端 Mac）的短缺。

Because of this, users who lack deep pockets are putting off upgrading their PCs and holding on to their current devices longer. Motherboard manufacturers have begun to feel the effects of these delayed purchases, with Digitimes reporting that the four major firms are revising target sales downward.

正因如此，预算有限的用户正在推迟升级 PC，并延长了现有设备的使用寿命。主板制造商已经开始感受到这种购买延迟带来的影响，据《电子时报》（Digitimes）报道，四大主板厂商正在下调销售目标。

Asus, which sold 15 million motherboards in 2025, has shipped only a little more than 5 million in the first half of 2026. The company will have to push hard to even move 10 million units by the end of the year, marking a 33% decrease in sales year-on-year. Gigabyte and MSI sold 11.5 million and 11 million motherboards last year, respectively. The companies have revised their internal forecasts for 2026 to 9 million (Gigabyte) and 8.4 million (MSI), a 22% drop for the former and a 24% contraction for the latter.

华硕（Asus）在 2025 年售出了 1500 万块主板，但在 2026 年上半年仅出货了 500 多万块。该公司必须全力以赴，才能在年底前实现 1000 万块的销量，这意味着同比销量下降了 33%。技嘉（Gigabyte）和微星（MSI）去年分别售出了 1150 万和 1100 万块主板。这两家公司已将 2026 年的内部预测分别下调至 900 万（技嘉）和 840 万（微星），前者降幅为 22%，后者收缩了 24%。

ASRock will be hardest hit by the situation: The company’s shipments are projected to fall by 37%, from 4.3 million in 2025 to just 2.7 million by the end of the year. This marks a contraction of 28% for the overall motherboard market, at least for the big four manufacturers.

华擎（ASRock）受到的冲击最为严重：预计其出货量将下降 37%，从 2025 年的 430 万块降至今年年底的仅 270 万块。这标志着整个主板市场（至少对于四大厂商而言）萎缩了 28%。

AI’s demand for memory, storage, and processors is the primary driver for this drop in sales. Shortages that have been caused by their massive purchases have forced PC builders and enthusiasts to fight over a smaller pie of PC components, resulting in higher overall prices for these components.

AI 对内存、存储和处理器的需求是导致销量下滑的主要驱动力。由于 AI 领域的大规模采购引发了短缺，迫使 PC 组装者和发烧友在有限的组件供应中竞争，导致这些组件的整体价格上涨。

Aside from this, AMD continues to use the AM5 socket for its latest processors, while Intel’s Nova Lake, which will reportedly use LGA 1954, isn’t available until later this year. The situation is further compounded by Nvidia not releasing a refreshed RTX 50 Super series this year, while rumors claim that the RTX 60 series will not debut until 2028. This confluence of factors is discouraging PC builders from discouraging PC builders from upgrading their current systems.

此外，AMD 继续为其最新处理器使用 AM5 插槽，而据报道将使用 LGA 1954 插槽的英特尔 Nova Lake 处理器要到今年晚些时候才会上市。英伟达今年没有发布 RTX 50 Super 系列升级版，且有传言称 RTX 60 系列要到 2028 年才会亮相，这些因素进一步加剧了现状。多种因素叠加，使得 PC 组装者们对升级现有系统望而却步。

Despite this drop in sales, these companies aren’t exactly struggling. Asus, Gigabyte, and ASRock have pivoted some of their production towards AI servers, allowing them to capture some of the investments that hyperscalers are generously pouring into their data centers.

尽管销量下滑，但这些公司并未陷入困境。华硕、技嘉和华擎已将部分产能转向 AI 服务器，使它们能够从超大规模数据中心运营商（Hyperscalers）投入的大量资金中分得一杯羹。

If you’re planning to build a completely new PC from scratch, you might be able to find good deals on motherboard combos, especially as retailers are keen on getting their inventories moving. Although these discounts might not be enough to offset the increased costs of memory, storage, and, to some extent, processors, it will at least save you a few dollars as you navigate the current chip crisis.

如果你正计划从零开始组装一台全新的 PC，或许能找到主板套装的优惠，尤其是零售商急于清理库存的时候。虽然这些折扣可能不足以抵消内存、存储以及部分处理器价格上涨带来的成本，但至少能在当前的芯片危机中为你节省一些开支。