FRAMINGHAM, MA – Fourth-quarter worldwide PC microprocessor shipments rose modestly sequentially and set a new record.

For the year, PC processor shipments grew 2.5%, while revenue declined 7.1% to $28.6 billion. "The modest rise in shipments indicates that the market is returning to normal seasonal patterns," said Shane Rau, director of semiconductors: personal computing research. "Compared to 2008, the huge rise in shipments indicates that the market has put the recession behind it. Both comparisons indicate that the PC industry anticipates improvement in PC end demand in 2010."

Mobile PC processors and server processors grew well, with the former up 11.7% sequentially in the quarter, while x86 server processors rose 14.1%. Desktop processors grew 4.8% sequentially. Mainstream and performance processors rose modestly as a percentage of the total mix compared to value processors, boosting the market average selling price 6.7% quarter-over-quarter.

For the period, Intel posted an 80.5% unit market share, AMD 19.4% and VIA Technologies 0.2%.

IDC raised its forecast for PC processor unit shipment growth to 15.1% year-over-year.