Gartner Dataquest Says Worldwide Server Shipments Experienced Slight Growth
in 2001
SAN JOSE, Calif., January 30, 2002 -The worldwide server market in 2001 experienced
its lowest annual growth rate in unit shipments since 1996. Worldwide server shipments
totaled 4.4 million in 2001, a 1.8 percent increase from 2000, according to preliminary
statistics by Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB).
"The initial sign of trouble was seen in the first quarter when the economic slowdown
began to affect sales of higher-end, midrange systems in the United States and Western
Europe," said Shahin Naftchi, senior analyst covering servers for Gartner Dataquest's
Computing Platform Worldwide program. "The terrorist attack on Sept. 11 also added
to the problem by delaying shipments into and out of the United States during the
latter half of the month, a time of year when many vendors expect to record a large
portion of their quarterly shipments."
Compaq remained in the top spot with 23.3 percent of the worldwide market share,
followed by Dell and IBM, with 16.1 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Dell and
IBM were the only vendors to record positive year-over-year growth with Dell moving
past IBM into the second position with 25.2 percent growth (see Table 1).
Table 1
Preliminary Worldwide Server Unit Shipment Estimates for 2001 (Units)
| Company |
2001 Shipments |
2001 Market Share
(%) |
2000 Shipments |
2000 Market Share
(%) |
Growth (%) |
| Compaq |
1,026,025 |
23.3 |
1,068,436 |
24.7 |
-4.0 |
| Dell |
711,614 |
16.1 |
568,410 |
13.1 |
25.2 |
| IBM |
661,547 |
15.0 |
657,979 |
15.2 |
0.5 |
| Hewlett-Packard |
428,104 |
9.7 |
440,512 |
10.2 |
-2.8 |
| Sun Microsystems |
254,053 |
5.8 |
289,231 |
6.7 |
-12.2 |
| Others |
1,326,072 |
30.1 |
1,302,943 |
30.1 |
1.8 |
| Total |
4,407,416 |
100.0 |
4,327,511 |
100.0 |
1.8 |
The U.S. server market showed a 9.5 percent decline, with shipments of 1.7 million
units in 2001, down from 1.9 million units in 2000 (see Table 2). Dell led the U.S.
market with 23.4 percent, followed closely by Compaq with 22.6 percent.
"Dell's focus on one, two and four-way servers placed it in a competitive position
as market conditions worsened making it the only top five vendor to experience positive
growth in both the U.S. and worldwide markets," said Jeffrey Hewitt, principal analyst
for Gartner Dataquest's Servers Worldwide program.
"Dell's direct business model and build-to-order model also played a part by enabling
low inventory levels and allowing the company to quickly incorporate reductions
in component costs into its pricing structures," Naftchi said.
Table 2
Preliminary U.S. Server Unit Shipment Estimates for 2001 (Units)
| Company |
2001 Shipments |
2001 Market Share
(%) |
2000 Shipments |
2000 Market Share
(%) |
Growth (%) |
| Dell |
399,208 |
23.4 |
349,013 |
18.5 |
14.4 |
| Compaq |
385,164 |
22.6 |
482,644 |
25.6 |
-20.2 |
| IBM |
217,020 |
12.7 |
239,612 |
12.7 |
-9.4 |
| Sun Microsystems |
121,402 |
7.1 |
139,243 |
7.4 |
-12.8 |
| Hewlett-Packard |
99,708 |
5.9 |
129,044 |
6.9 |
-22.7 |
| Others |
480,851 |
28.2 |
542,628 |
28.8 |
-11.4 |
| Total |
1,703,353 |
100.0 |
1,882,184 |
100.0 |
-9.5 |
These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients
of Gartner Dataquest's Servers Quarterly Statistics program. This program offers
a comprehensive, global market information service that analyzes and documents the
server industry. To subscribe to these programs, please call 408-468-8000.
Gartner Dataquest is the recognized leader in providing the high-technology and
financial communities with market intelligence for the semiconductor, computer systems
and peripherals, communications, document management, software, and services sectors
of the global information technology industry.
Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps more than 11,000 clients
understand technology and drive business growth. Gartner's divisions consist of
Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting, Gartner Measurement and Gartner Events. Founded
in 1979, Gartner, Inc. is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut,and consists of
4,300 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants, in more than
90 locations worldwide. The company achieved fiscal 2001 revenue of $952 million.
For more information, visit www.gartner.com.