Rack PDU 1Q12 revenues: “Don’t be fooled by appearances”

Global revenues for rack power distribution units (rack PDUs) grew 6.2% in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period last year.

By Source: IMS Research (IHS Inc.) June 27, 2012

Global revenues for rack power distribution units (rack PDUs) grew 6.2% in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period last year. The rack PDU market is tracked every quarter by IMS Research, recently acquired by IHS Inc.

All growth came from Asia, which had a 1Q12 35% larger than 1Q11. On the other hand, the Americas and EMEA declined 3.4% and 4.7%, respectively. IMS Research does not believe that this trend will continue throughout the year and expects a recovery in the next quarter.

According to Andrés Gallardo, research analyst, IMS Research: “Based on preliminary findings for our annual report, the slowdown in the Americas and EMEA is not explained by a drop in demand, but rather by inventory and stock issues from suppliers. Asia on the other hand keeps experiencing very high growth. Their growth is driven by the transition to intelligent units as well as a general demand for data center products for new builds.”

Sales in 1Q12 were 20.5% lower than 4Q11. Although there is market seasonality to consider, it does not fully explain the size of the drop. “At first the figures looked like the market was really slowing down, especially in Europe, but things seem to be back to normal, and we can continue to expect double-digit growth rates in the industry for 2012,” Gallardo added. The year 2011 was a record for the industry, with sales topping $800 million and growth rates averaging 30% across all regions.

Growth in the rack PDU market is largely driven by the demand of intelligent products, which provide actionable information that can be trended by data center managers and used to increase energy efficiency in the white space.

IMS Research regularly analyzes all aspects of the market for data center infrastructure. More information regarding these detailed reports can be found here.