Computex 2023 marked the first physical event since Taiwan lifted its entry restrictions in November 2022, drawing over 47,000 visitors. Nvidia has become a de facto leader of the event and this year it was, as anticipated, on AI, setting the event’s overall tone. Collaboration between Taiwan’s OEMs and Nvidia underlined the industry’s hope that AI will be fuel growth as the general PC market shrinks this year. A Canalys survey revealed that over 40% of channel partners see potential business prospects in AI technology. Although neither Intel nor AMD launched new products, Qualcomm’s announcement of collaboration with Microsoft focused on the future of on-device AI and the Windows-on-ARM model, generating a lot of buzz.
But, it was gaming that maintained the strongest presence at the conference with vendors such as Asus, Acer, MSI, and Gigabyte unveiling new products. Despite anemic PC demand, the gaming sector seems to remain active and engaged. It is also the one segment of the market where the Taiwanese hardware vendors have dominance and brand equity, having a direct line to their consumers through the thousands of blogs, enthusiasts’ channels on social media, and established tech press like Tom’s Hardware and The Verge.
What Display Daily Thinks
There used to be a time when Computex revolved solely around PC upgrade cycles and waited on every announcement out of Intel or AMD. Nvidia and ATI, not yet acquired by AMD, were the icing on the cake. It afforded an opportunity for an ecosphere of suppliers that could guarantee sales in the second half of the year.
Nvidia kind of stands alone now as the standard bearer for Computex and its exhibitors. Rightfully so, AI is about the closest thing the industry at the show has to the old upgrade cycles of old. However, PC gaming is coming out of the pandemic having suffered the worst shortages, and a ridiculous surge in prices and demand. There’s pent up demand for gaming hardware, still expensive but less so than the last two years, freeing up orders from gamers. That includes displays which are probably 2 years behind the upgrade cycle and due for a rapid surge in sales.
