HPC server market grows 5.3 percent in Q1 of 2013

USA: Worldwide factory revenue for the high performance computing (HPC) technical server market increased 5.3 percent in the first quarter of 2013 (1Q13) to reach $2.5 billion, up from $2.4 billion in the same period of 2012, according to the newly released International Data Corp. (IDC) Worldwide High-Performance Technical Server QView.

Shipments of 33,511 units in 1Q13 jumped 16.4 percent from the prior-year first quarter, primarily due to increased sales in the Departmental, Divisional, and Workgroup segments.

Revenues for the high-end Supercomputers segment (systems sold for $500,000 and up) declined to $861 million in 1Q13, a -10.9 percent drop year over year. Overall, 2012 was an exceptionally strong year for the Supercomputers segment, which grew 29.6 percent over full-year 2011 due to the acceptance of several very large supercomputers. IDC anticipates that through the rest of 2013, the Supercomputers segment will see increased growth driven by the acceptance of additional large systems across the world.

Last year, IDC said it expected the Divisional, Departmental, and Workgroup segments to rebound as the global economy recovered. Revenue numbers reported by major vendors confirmed that this rebound was under way in 1Q13. IDC corroborated the vendor-reported trend with global field research.

In the first quarter, the Divisional segment for HPC systems (priced from $250,000 to $499,000) grew 21.3 percent over the prior-year first quarter, while revenues for Departmental systems (priced $100,000 to $249,000) expanded 10.8 percent year over year and Workgroup revenues (systems priced below $100,000) advanced 15.6 percent over the first quarter of 2012.