Report: Xeon has regained most share lost to Opteron
It took a while for AMD's Operton chip to grab share from Intel's Xeon. The lead was lost in a quarter, according to a research report from Jon Peddie Research.
In a report on workstation share, Jon Peddie Research noted that the popularity of AMD's Opteron chip peaked in the fourth quarter of 2006 and then fell from grace. That fact is why AMD is betting so heavily on its next-generation Barcelona chip.
In a statement, Jon Peddie Research noted:
As 2006 began, Intel's Xeon was in a tailspin, while AMD's Opteron could do no wrong. In the robust market for workstations, the roles have since reversed, with first quarter results reported from Jon Peddie Research showing Xeon has grabbed back much of the share it had lost to Opteron.
In a workstation market that is strong overall--674,000 shipments in the first quarter of 2007, up 15.2 percent from a year ago--Intel has regained lost ground on AMD. This regaining of share is apparent in AMD's financial results, which have been a mess as Intel has regained momentum. Jon Peddie Research noted that Opteron peaked with 13 percent market share of dual-socket Windows workstations in the first quarter a year ago.
It's been downhill ever since.
The bottom line: Barcelona better deliver for AMD. It should be an interesting summer.