Acer's Jason Chen: CPU Shortages Become PC Industry's Biggest Bottleneck; Market Momentum May Weaken in Second Half

According to media reports from China's Taiwan region, Acer Chairman Jason Chen recently pointed out that the shortage of key components in the PC industry remains severe. Among them, CPUs have replaced memory as the supply chain's most critical "bottleneck."

CPU Shortages Emerge as the Primary Bottleneck; Second-Half Market Momentum May Weaken

Chen candidly admitted that material shortages across the industry chain persist. While the previous tightness in memory supply is gradually easing, the supply of CPUs has become exceptionally strained. He emphasized that CPUs are the decisive factor determining whether the supply chain can ship products smoothly. Consequently, major manufacturers are currently actively communicating with CPU suppliers in hopes of alleviating the supply pressure.

Discussing the PC market outlook for this year, Chen noted that while some research firms estimate PC shipments could decline by approximately 11% year-on-year, he remains relatively optimistic. He believes the actual contraction can likely be kept within single digits.

He pointed out that the PC market actually performed quite well in the first half of 2026. Taking Acer's own operations as an example, its shipments as of the end of April still maintained double-digit year-on-year growth, with revenue growth even outpacing shipment growth. However, looking ahead to the second half of the year, he candidly stated that market demand might be slightly weaker than in the first half. Despite the potential downward pressure on shipment volumes, the overall industry value is still expected to maintain growth due to continuously rising average selling prices (ASPs).

New Entrants May Alleviate Supply Pressure; AI Industry Witnesses a "Butterfly Effect"

Addressing the current supply dilemma, Chen also mentioned that beyond traditional players like Intel and AMD, new participants including MediaTek and Qualcomm are actively entering the CPU market. With more suppliers joining, the current tight supply situation is expected to gradually ease in the future.

Furthermore, Chen delved into the profound impact of AI on the industry. He believes that in the early stages of AI development, the benefits primarily accrued to core chips like GPUs and CPUs. The impact then gradually spread to other supply chain segments such as motherboards, racks, cooling systems, memory, and even distribution channels. Today, this influence has extended even further into software, scenario-based applications, and token-based business models, forming an industry-wide diffusion phenomenon akin to a "butterfly effect."

In his view, the AI industry has now moved beyond a mere race for computing power and is advancing further into the stages of practical application and commercialization.