DIGITIMES estimates that global server shipments in the fourth quarter of 2024 declined by only 0.2% from the previous quarter, a fall much less steep than previously expected.
Meta significantly expanded its purchases of general-purpose servers in the fourth quarter. With slower-than-expected shipments for Nvidia GB200 AI servers, other cloud service providers (CSP) also shifted some of their procurement back to general-purpose models. Brand vendors were more active in purchasing AI servers and replacing general-purpose ones amid corporate customers' optimism about a new wave of digital transformation to be triggered by generative AI.
The global server shipments in the first quarter of 2025 are expected to see a mild decline of 3.8%. Among US companies, Meta will maintain a relatively high level of shipments, while Google's shipments are expected to rebound this quarter, having seen a significant decline in the previous quarter.
Chart 1: Key factors affecting 1Q25 global server shipments: Supply/demand
Chart 3: Global shipments by top-10 player, 4Q23-1Q25 (k units)
Chart 5: Taiwan server shipments and global share, 4Q23-1Q25 (k units)
Chart 35: Taiwan and global server shipments, 2020-2024 (k units)
Chart 36: Global server shipments by top-10 player, 2023-2024 (k units)
Chart 37: Taiwan server shipments by top maker, 2023-2024 (k units)
