On January 16, citing a Keybanc report, analyst @jukan05 revealed that Intel and AMD have already sold out most of their 2026 server CPU capacity and plan to increase server processor prices by 10–15% this quarter (Q1), signaling sustained high demand in the sector.
The strong sales are driven by three core demand engines:
Strong AI inference demand, spurring a sharp rise in procurement of inference server head‑node systems.
A major refresh cycle for general‑purpose servers, with pent‑up replacement needs being released.
Compensatory investment in general‑purpose servers following earlier market cooling during the AI server boom.
Keybanc forecasts that positive growth in general‑purpose server demand is likely to extend into 2027, indicating continued market momentum.
The firm further predicts that total general‑purpose server shipments will increase 16–17% year‑over‑year in 2026, with segment‑specific trends: cloud server shipments are expected to surge by 25%, driving the majority of growth, while enterprise server shipments are projected to remain steady or slightly decline, reflecting an ongoing market structure optimization.
ICgoodFind : Tight supply‑demand dynamics and strong demand tailwinds are prompting Intel and AMD to raise prices, with the server CPU industry chain poised to benefit from an extended high‑growth cycle.
