Intel's Atom drives processor sales

The overall processor market rose 14 per cent during the third quarter

Intel's Atom processor has been a significant factor in driving processor sales to record numbers, according to IDC.

The overall processor market rose 14 per cent during the third quarter, and 15.4 per cent on the year, to reach a value of $8.3bn (£5.25bn).

Much of this growth was down to strong demand for Intel's Atom processor which registered shipment growth of nearly nine per cent.

"Not considering the effects of Atom, the overall market still grew at a decent pace in the third quarter," said Shane Rau, director of semiconductors: personal computing research at IDC.

"Intel's and AMD's shipments grew at a rate only slightly slower than typical for a third quarter, and seasonal demand appeared reasonable up until September. By segment, mobile processors grew aggressively while servers were soft."

The Atom also helped Intel consolidate its position in the market, with an estimated 80.1 per cent of sales compared to AMD's 18.5 per cent and Via's 0.6 per cent.

However, IDC is cutting its forecasts for 2009 sales, warning that both Intel and AMD face an uncertain 12 months.