Introduction: The Critical Role of Servers
Servers are the unsung workhorses behind the services and technology we rely on every day. From banking systems to ecommerce platforms to social media, servers provide the infrastructure to store data, run applications, and connect devices across networks.
Simply put, a server is a powerful computer built for processing large volumes of work. While an average laptop or desktop handles tasks for one user, servers can support thousands of concurrent users and requests. With fast processors, abundant memory and storage, and advanced network connectivity, servers are optimized to provide consistent, reliable performance.
The server market brings in over $90 billion in revenue annually and continues growing to meet escalating demand. As our data and compute needs expand exponentially in the digital age, servers represent the critical foundation fueling innovation.
Let‘s look at the 10 top companies delivering server solutions globally.
#10: H3C – Less Than 1% Market Share
Originally a joint venture between Huawei and 3Com starting in 2003, H3C makes Ethernet switches, routers, cards, and modules. After 3Com took over majority ownership in 2007, HP acquired a controlling stake in the company in 2010.
Following HP‘s major corporate split in 2015, H3C now operates as a subsidiary under one of the resulting entities, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). While no longer in the top 10 ranking, H3C enjoys a solid market presence in China and the Asia Pacific region.
#9: Sugon – 2% Market Share
Founded in 1999 under the name Dawning Information Industry, Chinese manufacturer Sugon focuses on supplying supercomputers, servers, storage, and software primarily to enterprise and government customers.
Known for its innovation in high-performance computing, Sugon powers some of the fastest supercomputers globally. The company has expanded beyond China to over 40 countries, establishing R&D centers in the United States and Japan to develop next-generation technologies like artificial intelligence.
#8: Fujitsu – 3.1% Market Share
With origins dating back to 1935, Japanese multinational Fujitsu is the country‘s largest IT services provider and hardware manufacturer. In addition to servers, Fujitsu produces everything from laptops and data storage systems to ATMs and point-of-sale terminals.
Fujitsu‘s PRIMERGY x86 server line delivers solid speed, scalability, and reliability using the latest Intel processors. The company also offers SPARC-based servers running Fujitsu‘s own advanced CPU architecture. Deep expertise across hardware and software ensures Fujitsu crafts tightly integrated systems.
#7: Super Micro Computer – 4.8% Market Share
Founded in 1993 in San Jose, California, Supermicro dedicates itself exclusively to designing and manufacturing servers and storage products. Their specialized focus results in cost-optimized, high-performance servers tailored for data center, cloud, AI/ML, and 5G edge workloads.
Offering the industry‘s broadest portfolio of server building blocks, Supermicro servers maximize flexibility in computing, memory, storage, and I/O. Commitment to open standards allows customers to avoid vendor lock-in. With U.S. manufacturing and operations worldwide, Supermicro ships over 1,000,000 servers annually.
#6: Huawei – 4.9% Market Share
A leading global provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices, Chinese tech giant Huawei entered the server market in 2012 using internally designed ARM, X86, and SPARC processors. Huawei now offers a full spectrum of intelligent servers for enterprise, data center, big data, and cloud environments.
Huawei servers stand out for excellent computing density supported by Huawei-built Ascend chipsets. To overcome recent U.S. trade restrictions limiting access to American technology like Intel and AMD processors, Huawei invested $1 billion into upgrading its ARM-based server chip lineup for improved performance.
#5: IBM – 5.3% Market Share
With roots tracing back to the 1880s, IBM stands today not just as the top U.S. patent holder for the past 29 consecutive years but also a leading international provider of servers and mainframes. Hardware makes up just one pillar of IBM‘s business alongside software and an array of tech services.
Leveraging its semiconductor expertise, IBM develops and produces its own POWER server processors, optimized for data-rich workloads like analytics and AI. For more generalized applications, the company offers competitively priced x86-architecture servers packed with enterprise-level RAS (reliability, availability, and serviceability) features.
#4: Lenovo – 6.2% Market Share
Founded in China in 1984, Lenovo grew from a reseller of foreign PCs to the #1 global PC vendor and a respected provider of computers for commercial and consumer markets. Beyond PCs, the tech giant also produces workstations, servers, storage devices, networking equipment and more.
Lenovo‘s end-to-end data center portfolio includes rack and tower servers for SMB and enterprise customers plus high-density systems purpose-built for large-scale cloud and HPC deployments. Management integration across devices enables seamless system administration. Strategic partnerships supplement cutting-edge, cost-optimized servers with best-in-class components.
#3: Inspur – 10.1% Market Share
Leading Chinese IT solutions provider Inspur places third with double-digit market share in the global server space. Founded in 1999, Inspur offers servers tailored for cloud computing, big data, AI, financial services, government agencies, and other key applications.
With an R&D team over 10,000 strong based across the globe, Inspur holds an impressive portfolio of intellectual property and has contributed technology standards adopted by ISO, IEEE and more. Committed partnership with Intel, Nvidia and other industry leaders ensures Inspur consistently delivers technologically advanced, world-class products.
#2: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) – 16.8% Market Share
When Hewlett-Packard split into HP Inc and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in 2015, the latter retained the technology solutions and services business serving commercial and enterprise clients. A core part of that business remains industry-leading servers.
Powering massive cloud deployments to standalone operations, HPE furnishes best-fit servers spanning rack, blade, mission-critical and high-performance computing categories. Partnerships with fellow innovators like SGI enable cutting-edge offerings, e.g. memory-driven computing. Further strengthened by in-house R&D and savvy acquisitions, HPE will continue shaping the future of servers.
#1: Dell Technologies – 17.2% Market Share
Dell Technologies tops the server market with over 17% share following its 2016 acquisition of enterprise IT solutions provider EMC. The $60 billion deal combined Dell‘s server manufacturing with EMC storage and virtualization technologies to create an integrated advanced systems provider.
Servers now represent a central focus of Dell Technologies as part of its core infrastructure solutions business. Dell EMC PowerEdge servers offer enterprise-scale performance, versatility and efficiency demanded by data centers. Tight integration with complementary infrastructure facilitates deployment in HPC and cloud environments as IT workloads become increasingly complex.
Summary and Comparison
| Rank | Company | Server Market Share | Key Server Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Dell Technologies | 17.2% | Dell EMC PowerEdge Servers |
| #2 | HPE | 16.8% | HPE ProLiant & Apollo Servers |
| #3 | Inspur | 10.1% | Inspur Server Series |
| #4 | Lenovo | 6.2% | ThinkSystem & ThinkAgile Servers |
| #5 | IBM | 5.3% | IBM POWER & x86 Servers |
| #6 | Huawei | 4.9% | Huawei FusionServer Series |
| #7 | Super Micro | 4.8% | Supermicro Server Portfolio |
| #8 | Fujitsu | 3.1% | PRIMERGY & PRIMEQUEST Servers |
| #9 | Sugon | 2% | Sugon TC Servers |
| #10 | H3C | <1% | H3C UniServer R Series |
The Future of Servers
As emerging technologies generate new paradigms in business and society, servers must continue evolving to handle the next generation of workloads. AI, IoT, augmented reality, autonomous machines, and quantum computing will all make waves – with servers as the foundation undergirding progress.
Leading server vendors are already preparing for the future with big bets in R&D and strategic vision. HPE labs develops The Machine, a revolutionary memory-driven computing architecture optimized for big data. Dell Technologies architected BioMedicus to solve healthcare‘s exploding data problems with edge servers and analytics. Lenovo‘s Carbon Impact assessment helps companies understand environmental effects for smarter data center design.
While past success doesn‘t guarantee future results, the current top 10 server companies have demonstrated skill in responding to new trends with impactful innovation time and time again. As data and processing demands continue skyrocketing, servers will play an instrumental role in digital transformation across industries – powered by the leading vendors driving technological breakthroughs ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the #1 server company globally?
Dell Technologies currently ranks #1 with over 17% market share. The 2016 merger with EMC majorly boosted Dell‘s server business.
What makes a server different than a regular PC?
Servers use specialized high-end components for maximum speed, throughput, scalability and stability when handling numerous computational tasks simultaneously from multiple users.
Why are servers essential for modern business computing?
Today‘s data explosion and dependence on digital infrastructure demands the storage capacity, processing muscle, and delivery backbone only enterprise-grade servers can adequately provide.
What new technologies are influencing server design?
Artificial intelligence, cloud-native applications, augmented reality, IoT, and other emerging workloads require optimizations around accelerated computing, miniaturized design, and edge deployment capabilities reflected in recent server innovations.
