IDC : HP & IBM are neck and neck for HPC servers
Supercomputer revenues have accelerated despite the global economic downturn
Worldwide factory revenue for the high performance computing (HPC) technical server market increased 5.3 percent in the first quarter of 2013 (1Q13).
The sector generated $2.5 billion, up from $2.4 billion in the same period of 2012.
And according to IDC market research firm, the semiconductor market is on the rise.
This is reported in detail in the firm's "International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide High-Performance Technical Server QView" report.
Shipments of 33,511 units in 1Q13 jumped 16.4 percent from the prior-year first quarter, primarily due to increased sales in the Departmental, Divisional, and Workgroup segments.
Revenues for the high-end Supercomputers segment (systems sold for $500,000 and up) declined to $861 million in 1Q13, a 10.9 percent drop year over year.
Overall, 2012 was an exceptionally strong year for the Supercomputers segment, which grew 29.6 percent over full-year 2011 due to the acceptance of several very large supercomputers.
IDC anticipates that through the rest of 2013, the Supercomputers segment will see increased growth driven by the acceptance of additional large systems across the world.
Last year, IDC said it expected the Divisional, Departmental, and Workgroup segments to rebound as the global economy recovered. Revenue numbers reported by major vendors confirmed that this rebound was under way in 1Q13.
IDC corroborated the vendor-reported trend with global field research.
In the first quarter, the Divisional segment for HPC systems (priced from $250,000 to $499,000) grew 21.3 percent over the prior-year first quarter, while revenues for Departmental systems (priced $100,000 to $249,000) expanded 10.8 percent year over year and Workgroup revenues (systems priced below $100,000) advanced 15.6 percent over the first quarter of 2012.
"Supercomputer revenues actually accelerated during the global economic downturn, driven by the growing recognition of the crucial role these systems play in economic competitiveness as well as scientific progress," says Earl Joseph, program vice president for Technical Computing at IDC. "Now the ongoing economic recovery is encouraging existing buyers to complete postponed purchases of entry-level and midrange HPC systems, and new buyers are acquiring these systems for high performance data analysis."
IDC expects the HPC technical server market to experience a healthy 6.8 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) with revenues reaching $15.4 billion by 2017.
Vendor Highlights
HP and IBM remained in close contention for worldwide market leadership, with each vendor capturing 31.5 percent of overall revenue share.
Dell maintained its strong third-place position with 14.3 percent of global revenue.
SGI (+51 percent), Dawning (+38 percent), IBM (12.7 percent), and HP (7 percent) all made strong year-over-year revenue gains in the first quarter of 2013. SGI's growth was driven by the acceptance of Supercomputers, while Dawning, IBM, and HP benefitted from growth in the Departmental, Divisional, and Workgroup segments.
The IDC Worldwide High-Performance Technical Server QView presents the HPC market from various perspectives, including by competitive segment, vendor, cluster versus non-cluster, geography, and operating system. It also contains detailed revenue and shipment information by HPC models.
