AMD expects global PC shipments to fall by a double-digit percentage in 2027, as higher memory and component costs weigh on buyers. CEO Lisa Su shared the outlook during the company’s Q3 2026 earnings call. AMD plans to manage inventory carefully while aiming to outperform the broader market with its Ryzen lineup and commercial PC business.
Key takeaways
- AMD forecasts a double-digit decline in overall PC market shipments in 2027—not specifically in its own processor shipments.
- Su said rising memory and component costs slowed PC sell-through late in the third quarter.
- AMD expects its Ryzen roadmap and commercial expansion to help it outperform the market.
- Gaming revenue fell 40% year over year, while Client revenue rose 7%.
For ThinkComputers readers weighing a system build or upgrade, the outlook points to continued pressure on the cost and availability of new PC hardware. AMD’s forecast is an industry estimate, not a prediction that every PC category or vendor will decline at the same rate.
Higher component costs are damping demand
Su said PC sell-through slowed toward the end of Q3 as higher memory and component prices affected demand. AMD is matching its sales to customer sell-through to keep inventory across customer and distribution channels in check. Tight memory supply and rising prices are also affecting the cost of complete systems, potentially prompting buyers to delay upgrades or choose lower-cost configurations.
AMD targets outperformance as the market contracts
Despite anticipating a shrinking market, AMD expects to outperform it through its Ryzen product roadmap and a larger commercial footprint. The company did not provide a specific market-share target. Its Client segment, which includes Ryzen processors, generated $2.9 billion in Q3 revenue, up 7% year over year, with mobile processor sales cited as a key contributor.
Gaming revenue slides as data center demand grows
AMD’s Gaming revenue dropped 40% year over year to $773 million. The company attributed the decline primarily to lower semi-custom sales, which include chips for game consoles, as well as lower graphics revenue. The result comes as current console hardware moves further into its product cycle; AMD also reported sequential growth in Radeon GPU channel sell-through.
Meanwhile, AMD’s Data Center business posted $8.5 billion in Q3 revenue, up 97% from a year earlier, driven by demand for EPYC server CPUs and Instinct accelerators. The contrasting results underline the divide in AMD’s outlook: strong demand for data center hardware alongside a tougher market for consumer PCs and gaming products.