AMD Radeon Market Share After the RX 9070 Launch in 2026

AMD’s share of discrete graphics card shipments is still small in 2026, but it has stopped falling. Jon Peddie Research (JPR) put AMD at 12 percent of add-in-board shipments in the second quarter of 2024, 8 percent in the first quarter of 2025, 6 percent in the second quarter of 2025 and 7 percent in the third quarter of 2025, with Nvidia holding roughly 90 to 94 percent throughout. The RX 9070 series launched in March 2025 and sold strongly in some retail channels, especially in Germany, yet it did not lift AMD’s global shipment share. This article explains the numbers, why retail success and shipment share differ, and what the trend means if you are choosing a graphics card.

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The numbers at a glance

Figures for 2024 and 2025 come from JPR’s quarterly add-in-board reports as summarized by outlets such as Wccftech, PC Gamer, PCWorld and Notebookcheck. Figures for the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026 come mainly from secondary summaries, and the sources disagree by a point or two, so treat the late entries as approximate. Rounded percentages also hide movement: a one-point change in a market of 12 million cards equals roughly 120,000 units.

What these shares actually measure

Add-in-board shipments, not installed cards

JPR counts discrete graphics cards that ship from manufacturers into the channel, meaning to board partners, distributors and system builders. That is different from cards sold to end users and very different from cards in use. A card that sits in a warehouse still counts as shipped. When AMD or its partners ship a large batch in a quarter, the share rises even if consumers are slow to buy; the reverse is also true.

Add-in boards versus all graphics

The statistic most often quoted for gaming is the add-in-board share. JPR also publishes a total-GPU figure that includes integrated graphics in every processor. In the third quarter of 2025, that total showed Intel at 61 percent, Nvidia at 24 percent and AMD at 15 percent, because Intel ships integrated graphics in most laptops and office desktops. Both statements are accurate, but they describe different markets. If a headline says AMD has 15 percent and another says 7 percent, check which table the author used.

Units versus revenue

Share by units and share by revenue differ because the average selling price of Nvidia’s cards is higher. Even if AMD ships 7 percent of the cards, its share of revenue in the discrete segment is likely lower than its unit share suggests when Nvidia sells more expensive flagship models. JPR’s headline numbers are unit-based.

Worked example: what a point of share means

1. Take the second quarter of 2025: 11.6 million add-in boards shipped.
2. At a 6 percent share, AMD shipped about 696,000 cards.
3. In the third quarter of 2025, 12.02 million boards shipped.
4. At a 7 percent share, AMD shipped about 841,000 cards.
5. That is roughly 145,000 more cards in one quarter, a rise of about 21 percent in AMD’s unit shipments, even though the share moved by only one percentage point.

The example shows why small changes in percentage can hide a meaningful change in volume. It also shows how far Nvidia remains ahead: at a 92 percent share in the same quarter, Nvidia shipped about 11.06 million cards, more than 13 times AMD’s volume.

Why the RX 9070 launch did not move the global number

The RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT launched on March 6, 2025, and early reports described strong demand and quick sell-outs. AMD’s Frank Azor described the response as very strong and said the company was working with partners to restock shelves. Several factors explain why the shipment statistic still fell in the second quarter.

• Supply timing: new cards ship in waves, and the first weeks were supply constrained. A card that sells out in a day only counts for the units that arrived.
• A tariff-driven spike in Nvidia shipments: JPR noted that Nvidia-heavy channel buying rose in the second quarter, partly ahead of expected tariffs. The market grew 27 percent on the quarter, and the extra volume went mostly to the larger vendor.
• Mid-range focus: AMD did not launch a flagship in this generation. Nvidia sells across every price tier, including high-priced cards in large volumes in system builders’ pipelines.
• Prebuilt PCs: large PC makers still ship far more systems with GeForce cards, and these shipments count in the same statistic as retail boxes.
• Mobile and workstation links: a share of Nvidia’s lead comes from long-running relationships with manufacturers that supply laptops and workstations, markets in which AMD has historically been weaker.

Where Radeon did gain ground: retail data

Retail charts tell a different story from shipment statistics, and the difference is useful. The German retailer Mindfactory, whose sales are often published weekly, reported the RX 9070 XT as its best-selling graphics card and, in some periods, showed AMD with a majority of unit sales. Reports cite figures such as 55.6 percent of graphics card units in the first half of March 2026 and about 56 percent in August 2026, while Nvidia kept a thin lead in revenue. Other outlets noted that Radeon cards also reached the top of some best-seller lists at large online stores.

Treat these numbers carefully. Mindfactory is one retailer in one country, it runs promotions and bundles, and its customers lean toward enthusiasts who compare prices. A 56 percent share there says that Radeon wins when its price-to-performance is clear and stock is available, not that AMD holds 56 percent of the global market. The more reliable reading is that retail sales and JPR shipments measure different things, and both can be correct at once.

What the trend means for a buyer

Driver and game support

A smaller market share does not mean a card will lack support. Radeon cards are the basis of the PlayStation and Xbox consoles, so game developers optimize for AMD hardware. The RX 9000 series gained FSR 4 support in more than 75 games by August 2025, and AMD continued shipping regular driver updates. Share matters more for niche professional software that is written first for CUDA.

Pricing pressure

A dominant vendor has little reason to cut prices. When AMD’s cards sell well in retail, as the RX 9070 XT did, Nvidia faces pressure in the same price band, which benefits everyone. If AMD’s share falls much below the current level, board partners might ship fewer models, which could reduce choice and keep prices higher.

Resale value

Used GeForce cards tend to sell faster because buyers know them. Radeon cards with 16GB of memory hold resale value well when the price at purchase was fair, since memory capacity has become a key concern for owners of 8GB cards.

Choosing by need rather than by share

• Pure gaming at 1440p: compare the RX 9070 XT, the RX 9070 and the GeForce RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti by current price, memory and power draw.
• Entry 1080p gaming: compare the RX 9060 XT 16GB with the cheaper GeForce options, and avoid 8GB cards for new builds.
• Content creation, CUDA and AI work: a GeForce card usually has the smoother software path.
• Linux gaming: Radeon’s open drivers make it a popular choice.
• Small cases and low power budgets: compare total board power. The RX 9070 draws 220 watts, the RX 9070 XT draws 304 watts and the RX 9060 XT 16GB draws 160 watts, according to AMD’s specifications.

How to read the next market-share headline

1. Check the source: is it JPR, a retailer, a survey or a company statement?
2. Check the scope: add-in boards only, or integrated graphics too? Desktop only, or laptops?
3. Check the period: one week at one store is not a quarter worldwide.
4. Check the unit: units shipped, units sold or revenue?
5. Look at the market size: a rise in share during a shrinking market may mean fewer total cards, not more Radeon cards.
6. Wait for revisions: analysts revise figures as more channel data arrives.

Why a mid-range strategy changes the share math

The mid-range is where most cards are bought by units, yet it is also where a competitor can lose share without losing sales. Consider a simplified market of 12 million boards per quarter split into three tiers. If the entry tier holds 5 million cards, the mid-range holds 5 million and the high end holds 2 million, then an AMD lineup that stops at the upper mid-range competes for 10 of the 12 million cards, or about 83 percent of the market. Even if AMD took a 15 percent slice of those 10 million cards, the global share would be 1.5 million divided by 12 million, which is 12.5 percent. To reach that 15 percent slice it must win buyers who already know the GeForce name, which takes both stock and a price gap. The example shows why one strong product launch moves the global figure by only a point or two in a single quarter.

Regional differences worth knowing

• Germany and parts of Europe: enthusiast buyers compare prices closely, retailers run Radeon bundles, and the RX 9070 XT has repeatedly appeared at or near the top of weekly sales charts.
• North America: brand familiarity, prebuilt PCs and retailer inventory favor GeForce, and stock of Radeon cards was uneven in the weeks after launch.
• China: AMD introduced a different model, the RX 9070 GRE with 12GB of memory, in May 2025 for that market, which shows how product mix changes by region.
• Emerging markets: older cards and used hardware dominate, so new-card shipment share says little about what people actually run.

What would change the picture

Several events could shift the shipment numbers within a year. Each is plausible but uncertain, so treat them as scenarios rather than forecasts.

1. Stable supply at fair prices: if AMD and its partners keep RX 9070-class cards in stock near the intended price band, the card can win sales that currently go to a nearby GeForce model. Supply is the single most important lever.
2. A new flagship or a new generation: a launch that restores AMD’s presence in the high-end tier would increase brand visibility, even if sales volume stays modest.
3. Prebuilt PC adoption: design wins at large system builders convert directly into shipment share. A single model offered across a major prebuilt line can add hundreds of thousands of units in a quarter.
4. Software features: broader FSR 4 support and strong driver quality reduce the feature gap that persuades some buyers to pay more for Nvidia.
5. Memory and component costs: changes in the price of graphics memory affect every vendor, and the one with a more flexible cost structure can hold prices better.
6. Intel’s Arc line: a successful new Arc generation would take share from the bottom of the market, which affects AMD more than Nvidia in the entry tier.

Common misreadings to avoid

• Confusing a rising percentage with a rising unit count. If the whole market shrinks 20 percent and AMD ships the same number of cards, its share rises. Always compare both the percentage and the market size.
• Assuming one quarter makes a trend. Channel inventory, tariffs and product launches distort individual quarters. A trend needs at least three or four consecutive reports.
• Treating company statements as market data. When a company says demand is strong or that sales are up in certain regions, the statement may be accurate but is selective by design. Independent figures from analysts and retailers provide the balance.
• Ignoring the baseline. A 50 percent rise from a very small base is still small. Always compare the absolute number of cards.
• Equating share with quality. Market share tracks distribution, pricing and brand power as much as product merit.

A buyer’s decision table

Whatever the market statistics say, the right card is the one that runs your games at your resolution within your power and budget limits. Market share is context for the industry, not a buying criterion.

Outlook for the rest of 2026

The structural picture is stable. Nvidia ships roughly nine of every ten discrete cards, AMD holds a mid-single-digit to high-single-digit slice, and Intel holds around one percent with its Arc line. Growth drivers include demand for GPUs in AI-capable PCs and the replacement cycle of cards bought before 2022. Risks include memory price swings and tariffs, which affect AMD and Nvidia partners alike. AMD’s most likely path to a larger share is the one it chose with RDNA 4: strong price-to-performance in the mid-range, 16GB of memory as a standard feature and a steady cadence of FSR improvements, rather than a battle at the top of the market.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AMD’s discrete GPU market share in 2026?

According to JPR figures reported in secondary sources, AMD holds roughly 5 to 9 percent of add-in-board shipments depending on the quarter, with Nvidia near 90 percent and Intel near 1 percent. The exact value varies by report and quarter.

Did the RX 9070 launch increase AMD’s market share?

It helped retail sales, especially in Germany, but JPR shipment data showed AMD at 8 percent in the first quarter of 2025, 6 percent in the second quarter and 7 percent in the third. The shipment share did not rise sharply, partly because Nvidia’s channel volume jumped in the same period.

Why does Mindfactory show Radeon with more than half of sales?

Mindfactory is a single German retailer with promotions and a price-conscious customer base. Its charts show what buyers there choose, not the global market, so they cannot be compared directly with JPR’s shipment shares.

Does lower market share make AMD cards a worse purchase?

No. Share reflects company-wide shipments, including prebuilt systems and laptops. For a gamer, the useful questions are price, performance in your games, memory, power draw and driver support, all of which are strong on the current Radeon line.

Where does Intel fit in?

Intel returned to JPR’s discrete chart at about 1 percent with its Arc graphics cards. Its volume is small, but its presence in the entry range adds some pricing pressure.

How often is the market-share data updated?

JPR publishes add-in-board data quarterly, usually two to three months after the quarter ends, and sometimes revises earlier figures. Retail charts update weekly or monthly.