motherboards ai-chips pc-market hardware-sales

Motherboard sales are now collapsing amid unprecedented shortages fueled by AI

Motherboard sales 'collapse' by more than 25% as chipmakers strangle enthusiast PC market to build more AI chips — Asus projected to sell 5 million fewer boards in 2025, Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock also expected to see reduced sales numbers

tomshardware.com

May 7, 2026

6 min read

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62/100

Summary

Motherboard sales have declined by over 25% due to chipmakers prioritizing AI chip production, leading to a projected loss of 5 million units for Asus in 2025. Major PC component prices, including memory modules, have risen amid these shortages as fewer consumers build new PCs.

Key Takeaways

Motherboard sales have declined by over 25% due to chipmakers prioritizing AI chip production over consumer components.
Asus is projected to sell 5 million fewer motherboards in 2025, with Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock also expecting significant sales reductions.
The overall motherboard market is expected to contract by 28% among the four major manufacturers, driven by increased demand for AI-related hardware.
Shortages of CPUs and other PC components have led to higher prices and discouraged consumers from upgrading their systems.

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Community Sentiment

Negative

Positives

The decline in prices for AI-related components could lead to increased competition, potentially benefiting consumers in the long run.
The current situation highlights the importance of open platforms, as users may gravitate towards server-grade components or more open systems.

Concerns

AI advancements are driving prices up, making it increasingly difficult for average consumers to afford personal computing hardware.
The trend towards corporate control over computing resources threatens the accessibility and ownership of personal technology, which could lead to a divide among users.