For many years, the gaming graphics card industry has had a relatively stable brand landscape. Apart from the upstream GPU design giants AMD and Nvidia, other leading manufacturers have their own fixed consumer groups, many of which are from China. However, with the continuous open source and innovation of AI technology, as well as the rapid growth of console and mobile game players, more racing players and consumers are pouring in.
According to forecasts released by ModorIntelligence, the global gaming GPU market size will reach USD 2.73 billion in 2023, and will reach USD 11.73 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 33.84%. This also means that the rapid expansion opportunities in the gaming market are coming. In this article, EqualOcean will take stock of 12 well-known Chinese gaming graphics card brands that have firmly established themselves in overseas markets.
ASUS (华硕）
ASUS, founded in 1989 and headquartered in Taiwan, China, is currently the world's largest motherboard manufacturer, the third largest graphics card manufacturer, and one of the world's leading 3C solution providers, committed to providing innovative and valuable products and application solutions for individuals and businesses. ASUS's product line covers a full range of 3C products, including laptops, motherboards, graphics cards, servers, optical storage, wired/wireless network communication products, LCDs, handheld computers, and smartphones. Among them, graphics cards, motherboards, and laptops are ASUS's main competitive strengths. After years of hard work, the "ROG" series of graphics cards and motherboards have become top brands in the hearts of global players, and ROG gaming laptops and ASUS gaming laptops occupy the first place in the global gaming laptop market. Currently, ASUS's business covers branch offices in more than 20 countries and regions around the world, with more than 100,000 employees, jointly making ASUS a giant in the information industry with annual revenue exceeding USD 16.5 billion.
Colorful (七彩虹)
Colorful Technology Development Co., Ltd. is a well-known domestic computer DIY hardware manufacturer. The predecessor of Colorful, Sihai Information Company, was established in 1995 and was committed to IT channel value-added business as a sales agent type company. Currently, Colorful graphics cards have become one of the famous graphics card brands in the market. In the 20 years since its establishment, Colorful Group (CFG) has completed three stages of strategic transformation, successfully transforming from a computer component agent to a complete industrial chain enterprise with independent research and development, production, branding, and sales, and then upgrading to an industry group integrating the real economy with the capital market. In terms of external resource cooperation, it has gathered resource advantages of industry giants such as NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, and become an important partner of cooperative partners in the Chinese region. In 2021, the well-known domestic esports club EDG announced that it had reached a cooperation with iGame, a high-end hardware brand under Colorful. Colorful graphics cards have been the top-selling graphics cards in China for 18 consecutive years, and there is a saying in the market that "one out of every four independent graphics card computers in the country uses a Colorful graphics card."
Galax (影驰)
Galax is a series of brand products of Hong Kong company GALAXY Technology. Galax Technology is a technology enterprise established in 1994, dedicated to the production and sales of computer hardware, and has established branches in mainland China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Europe. In 1999, Galax Technology joined forces with Nvidia to expand the computer graphics card market and officially became an Nvidia AIC customer. With excellent engineering research and development capabilities and Nvidia's outstanding graphics technology, Galax has successively launched the Geforce series of products, which are highly acclaimed. Several years later, Galax achieved successive victories in Southeast Asia, the United States, Europe, and other markets, significantly increasing its product share. Galaxy Microsystems has established a solid foundation in overseas markets and has become Nvidia's "Launch Partner" product release partner. Today, Galax Technology has become a well-known manufacturer of high-end and high-quality graphics cards in the industry, with its flagship product series "Galax" meaning "extreme speed and strength," showcasing its excellent product quality and belief in winning the market.
MSI (微星)
MSI (Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.), founded in August 1986 and headquartered in Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, Taiwan, is one of the world's leading motherboard and graphics card manufacturers and a professional gaming laptop and content creation laptop manufacturer, committed to providing the necessary equipment and technology for global gamers and creators. MSI has over 15,000 employees worldwide, with products marketed in more than 120 countries. MSI is also Nvidia's largest public graphics card OEM, with its own factories, and its products are known for their high cost-effectiveness, simple structure, easy operation, reliability, and excellent quality, with low noise and low repair rates.
Sapphire (蓝宝石)
Sapphire is a brand of Sapphire Technology Limited. Sapphire Technology is a leading global designer, producer, and seller of video graphics accelerators based on ATI technology. In addition, Sapphire also produces motherboards based on the latest ATI IGP chip technology. Sapphire's headquarters are located in Hong Kong, and its production base is located in Dongguan, Guangdong, with a monthly production capacity of 1.8 million graphics cards. Currently, Sapphire has more than 3,000 employees worldwide, with sales offices in North America, Europe, South Africa, and Asia. As a leading brand in the professional graphics card and gaming fields, Sapphire has always introduced innovative technology solutions into the constantly changing market environment. Since 2001, Sapphire has been a major supplier of graphics display cards for ATI and AMD worldwide.
Zotac (索泰)
Zotac is the mid-to-high-end graphics card product of the Baisheng Group, which is responsible for the OEM production of Nvidia's public graphics cards. Baisheng Group was founded in 1997 and mainly produces computer 3D display cards, motherboards, and mini-computer systems. It is a large comprehensive enterprise that integrates research and development, production, and sales of various electronic products. The group's manufacturing base is located in Houjie Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, with more than 4,000 employees worldwide, and its sales cover more than 200 countries and regions around the world. Baisheng Group successfully listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on January 12, 2012. Baisheng Group owns three wholly-owned independent brands and has offices in major markets such as Europe, America, Japan and South Korea, and China. Among them, Zotac, founded in 2006, has become one of the top three brands in the domestic graphics card market in just a few years.
Gigabyte (技嘉)
Gigabyte was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Taiwan, China. It is a well-known computer hardware and cloud computing acceleration service provider. In September 1998, Gigabyte was listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE). The company has established manufacturing bases in Nantong, Taoyuan, Ningbo, and Dongguan. It has more than 7,000 employees worldwide, with sales outlets covering Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. At the same time, Gigabyte has subsidiaries and offices in Hamburg, Los Angeles, Osaka, London, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and other places. In 2023, Gigabyte announced the establishment of Jigang Co., Ltd. to expand its own brand business in the European and American markets.
Leadtek (丽台)
Leadtek was founded in 1986 and is based in Taiwan, China. It is a well-known manufacturer of computer hardware and smart healthcare solutions, as well as a long-term partner of Nvidia. The company's products include GeForce graphics cards, NVIDIA RTX graphics cards, AI workstations and servers, AI management software, Zero Client/Thin Client solutions for desktop virtualization, smart healthcare solutions and big data solutions, video communication products, and satellite navigation systems. Leadtek will continue to focus on the Asia-Pacific market in the future and use it as a cornerstone to expand into the global market, aiming to become one of the top five global brands.
Maxsun (铭瑄)
Maxsun is a graphics card brand under the Maxsun Business Group. Founded in 2002, Maxsun has been committed to providing users with more competitive hardware product solutions as a pioneer in the personal computer accessories business. Maxsun's graphics card product line includes the iCraft eSports Heart series for high-end players, the Wind series, Turbo series, Terminator series for mid-range gamers, the Giant series, Transformers series, and Hammer series for mainstream cost-effectiveness, as well as an eSports series specially designed for internet cafes. With a complete product line and a variety of products, Maxsun is dedicated to providing professional gaming graphics cards for players. In addition, Maxsun also has product businesses in PC motherboards, solid-state drives, and computer memory.
Yeston (盈通)
Yeston Digital Technology Co., Ltd. was founded in Shenzhen in 2000. The company is committed to research, development, production, and marketing of computer components and consumer electronics products. "Yeston" is its own brand, and in just a few years, it has become one of the top five brands in the computer graphics card industry in China. The company is headquartered in Shenzhen with nearly 200 employees and has branch offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Shenyang, and Xi'an. It has more than 500 distributors in major markets across the country, covering more than 120 cities. In 2011, Yeston became AMD's highest-level partner and honored partner in China. In terms of overseas business, Yeston currently sells multiple AMD graphics cards in the US market.
Gainward (耕升)
Founded in Taipei, Taiwan in 1984, Gainward primarily manufactures personal computer display efficiency enhancement products. Gainward graphics cards are known for their excellent overclocking capabilities and are a global partner of Nvidia. As one of the top three graphics card brands in Europe, Gainward has maintained a high market share in the mid-to-high-end market for many years. With a professional R&D team of nearly 100 people, Gainward continuously develops products that are closer to user needs. The company has established operating and R&D centers in North America, Europe, and Asia, and sells Gainward graphics cards worldwide.
XFX (讯景)
XFX is a well-known graphics card brand under the Songjing Group. Founded in 1991, the group has developed from a single computer product to a comprehensive product layout of three categories, dozens of varieties, including computer and peripheral products, communication products, and consumer electronics products. XFX was once Nvidia's highest-level global partner and the only launch partner, solution provider, certified vendor, and certified distributor in the Asian region except for Taiwan. Since 2008, XFX has cooperated with AMD and entered the AMD graphics card market, accelerating its departure from Nvidia in 2010. With its strong comprehensive strength in production, R&D, channels, and sales, XFX has become one of AMD's global core partners and has unique upstream chip manufacturer resources. Currently, XFX graphics cards are sold in over 50 countries and regions worldwide, especially in Europe and the United States, where they enjoy a wide brand awareness and are designated suppliers to Walmart and Carrefour and provide graphics card OEM services to Dell and Apple computers.
In summary, the graphics card industry requires years of R&D, resource accumulation, upstream partners, and downstream distributors, making it a high barrier industry, which is a significant challenge for startup companies. As AI and general artificial intelligence continue to develop rapidly, traditional graphics card manufacturers are accelerating their transformation to empower cloud computing, data centers, large models, and various intelligent scenes, making their commercial attributes increasingly apparent.
