Motherboard Sales Collapse Over 25% as AI Chip Demand Diverts Production

Motherboard sales are collapsing amid unprecedented shortages driven by AI infrastructure demand, with major manufacturers Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock revising 2026 sales targets sharply downward. Asus shipped only 5 million motherboards in H1 2026 after selling 15 million in 2025, projected to end the year at 10 million—a 33% decline. Gigabyte and MSI forecast 9 million and 8.4 million units respectively, down 22% and 24% from 2025. ASRock faces a 37% drop to 2.7 million units. The overall market for the big four is contracting 28%. Chipmakers Nvidia, Intel, and AMD are reducing consumer chip production to manufacture more AI processors, exacerbating shortages of CPUs, memory, and storage. Prices for PC components have risen across the board, discouraging upgrades. Users are holding onto existing devices longer. Motherboard manufacturers are pivoting to AI server production to capture hyperscaler investments. Intel's Nova Lake (LGA 1954) is not available until late 2026, and Nvidia's RTX 60 series is rumored for 2028, further stalling upgrades. Despite the sales drop, companies like Asus, Gigabyte, and ASRock are not struggling due to AI server revenue.