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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Yes. AMD continued to take share from Intel in Q2 2026, reaching 30.7% of worldwide x86 CPU unit shipments, compared with Intel’s 69.3%. The figures are quarterly shipment estimates, not the share of processors already in use, revenue, or profit. Intel remained the larger supplier in every reported segment.
How much of the x86 CPU market does AMD have?
Mercury Research’s Q2 2026 estimates, reported by Tom’s Hardware on August 22, 2026, put AMD at 30.7% of overall x86 CPU unit shipments. That was a 0.7-percentage-point increase from Q1 2026 and a 6.5-point increase from Q2 2025. Intel held the remaining 69.3%.
The table shows unit shipment share, not revenue share. The figures are estimates for the quarter and should not be read as the proportion of PCs currently owned or in use. TechSpot’s report on the client result also distinguishes shipment share from installed systems and revenue.
| Q2 2026 segment | AMD unit share | Intel unit share | AMD change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall x86 CPUs | 30.7% | 69.3% | +0.7 points sequentially; +6.5 points year over year |
| Client CPUs | 30.3% | 69.7% | +0.7 points sequentially; +6.4 points year over year |
| Desktop CPUs | 34.9% | 65.1% | +1.8 points sequentially; +2.7 points year over year |
| Mobile CPUs | 28.9% | 71.1% | +0.6 points sequentially; +8.4 points year over year |
| Server CPUs | 34.5% | 65.5% | +1.3 points sequentially; +7.3 points year over year |
All segment figures and changes are Mercury Research Q2 2026 estimates as reported by Tom’s Hardware. Percentage-point changes compare shares, not shipment totals.
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- The world’s fastest gaming processor, built on AMD ‘Zen5’ technology and Next Gen 3D V-Cache.
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- Cooler not included
Where did AMD gain share?
Desktop: share rose while shipments fell
AMD had 34.9% of desktop CPU shipments, up 1.8 points from the previous quarter and 2.7 points from a year earlier. Yet AMD’s own desktop shipments declined. The share gain occurred because Intel’s desktop shipments fell faster. Desktop CPU shipments overall were down by more than 20% both sequentially and year over year, according to the Mercury Research figures reported by Tom’s Hardware. A larger share in a shrinking segment therefore does not mean AMD sold more desktop CPUs.
Mobile: the largest year-over-year gain
AMD reached 28.9% of mobile CPU shipments, a gain of 8.4 points year over year and 0.6 points sequentially. Intel’s mobile supply increased after several constrained quarters, so the quarter included a substantial supply recovery by Intel as well as continued strong AMD product ramps.
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Server: scope changes the comparison
AMD held 34.5% of the broad server CPU market, up 7.3 points year over year and 1.3 points sequentially. A narrower comparison of AMD EPYC with Intel Xeon puts AMD at 46.4%, but that comparison excludes Intel edge and networking processors included in the broader server market. The 46.4% figure is not directly interchangeable with broad server CPU share.
Client CPUs overall
Across client CPUs—the desktop and mobile categories—AMD’s estimated share was 30.3%, up 6.4 points year over year. This segment figure is distinct from overall x86 share, which also includes server CPUs.
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Why can share rise when shipments fall?
Market share is a portion of a total. A supplier can gain that portion even while shipping fewer units if the market contracts or competitors’ shipments decline faster. That is what happened in desktop CPUs in Q2 2026: both AMD and Intel shipments fell, but AMD’s fell less, lifting its share.
The quarter also saw the total reported CPU market grow by more than 10% sequentially, well above normal seasonal expectations, with notebook and data-center CPU shipments growing strongly. On a year-over-year basis, however, the broader CPU market contracted in units, largely because of lower IoT, SoC, and embedded volumes, including fewer game-console-related shipments. These broader market movements do not change what the x86 share figures measure.
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Mercury Research principal analyst Dean McCarron said suppliers had given a “decidedly gloomy outlook” for client processors, but actual x86 and Arm CPU results grew strongly in Q2 2026. He attributed the growth in part to increased Intel CPU supplies, especially mobile, after constrained quarters, alongside continued strong AMD product ramps. The comments and estimates were reported by Tom’s Hardware.
What does “all CPUs” mean here?
A separate, broader count that includes IoT, SoCs, and embedded products put AMD at 34.1% and Intel at 65.9% in Q2 2026. This population is wider than the x86 CPU comparison, which places AMD at 30.7%. The figures answer different questions and should not be substituted for one another.
Best Value
- Pure gaming performance with smooth 100+ FPS in the world's most popular games
- 6 Cores and 12 processing threads, based on AMD "Zen 5" architecture
- 5.4 GHz Max Boost, unlocked for overclocking, 38 MB cache, DDR5-5600 support
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- Cooler not included
How do AMD and Intel’s financial results fit in?
Company revenue provides useful business context, but it is not market share: each company reports its own financial segments, which do not map directly to Mercury Research’s processor shipment categories.
- AMD: Its Q2 2026 Form 10-Q reported $6.7 billion in Data Center revenue, up 107% year over year, driven by EPYC processors and Instinct MI350 GPUs. Client revenue was $3.1 billion, up 23%; AMD said client processor unit shipments rose 34%, partly offset by a 6% decline in average selling price. These are AMD-reported company results, not market-wide share estimates. See AMD’s Q2 2026 Form 10-Q.
- Intel: Its Q2 2026 earnings release reported $16.1 billion in revenue, up 25% year over year, including $8.9 billion in Client Computing and Physical AI Group revenue and $6.3 billion in Data Center and AI revenue. Intel also announced Xeon 6+. These are Intel’s reporting categories and company claims, not matching market-share segments. See Intel’s Q2 2026 earnings release.
Because the reporting categories differ, AMD’s and Intel’s company revenue figures should not be added, subtracted, or treated as direct substitutes for the shipment-share estimates.
Quick Recap
What the figures do—and do not—show
- AMD is gaining ground in x86 CPU unit shipments, with particularly strong year-over-year share gains in mobile and server.
- Intel still leads overall and in each reported segment.
- Shipment share does not establish installed-base share, revenue share, profitability, consumer preference, or which processor is the better purchase.
- Share changes alone do not establish whether a company’s absolute unit shipments rose or fell; the desktop result is a clear example.
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