With demand remaining robust, ODMs are expected to see their first-quarter 2021 notebooks shipments drop by only 10-15% sequentially, milder than the usually over 20% declines seen during the traditional low season. Stay-at-home activities have also been keeping server demand strong. Digitimes Research expects global server shipments to decline by less than 2% in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the handset market is gaining momentum, driven by telecom carriers' faster pace in constructing 5G networks. Global 5G smartphone shipments are forecast to reach almost 550 million units this year.
Notebook ODMs to see milder drop in 1Q21 shipments: Notebook ODMs will see their shipments decline 10-15% sequentially in the first quarter of 2021, compared to larger decreases of over 20% during the same period in previous years, according to industry sources.
Server makers see healthy orders in 1Q21: Server shipments are expected to stay strong in the first quarter, thanks to robust orders from US-based cloud computing datacenter operators, according to sources from the server upstream supply chain.
Global 5G smartphone shipments to approach 550 million units in 2021: Worldwide 5G smartphone shipments are expected to grow drastically to nearly 550 million units in 2021, and supply chain players will benefit as a result, according to market sources.