Japanese PC server shipment volume stood at 429.800 units in 2004, an annual increase of 17.3%, according to MM Research Institute. The increase was attributed to the economic upturn, which has encouraged IT investment and demand for new models. ASP (Average Selling Price) fell by 14.2% to 412.000 Yen (US$ 3844.5; US$1=107.2 Yen) and total value experienced just a slight growth of 0.6%. Total shipment value for 2004 stood at 177 billion Yen (US$1.65 billion).

 

NEC was the market leader, although its market share fell annually by 1.0% to 22.3%. Dell's share annually decreased by 0.5% to 18.5%. HP Japan's market share stood at 17.6%, which meant an annual rise of 2.3 percentage points.

MMRI forecasts that in 2005 the overall shipment volume of the Japanese server market will grow to 485,000 units, an annual increase of 13%. This growth will be stimulated by high value-added offerings such as blade servers.