Asustek Computer expects to ship 15.5 million own-brand motherboards during the first three quarters of 2013, and if shipments in the fourth quarter do not exceed 4.5 million units, the company will ship fewer than 20 million units in 2013, its lowest annual shipments since 2007, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

　　Asustek shipped 10 million motherboards in the first half of 2013 and expects to ship 5.5 million units in the third quarter, increasing 10% on quarter but decreasing 5.2% on year, the sources indicated. Based on previous years, shipments in the fourth quarter are most likely to decrease sequentially and therefore Asustek is unlikely to reach its 2013 target shipments of 22-24 million motherboards, the sources said.

　　In order to reach shipments of at least 20 million motherboards in 2013, Asustek is expected to lower prices to promote sales to at least five million units in the fourth quarter, the sources indicated.

　　Gigabyte Technology, Asustek's largest competitor, aims to ship 20 million own-brand motherboards in 2013, the sources noted. In addition, other Taiwan-based vendors ASRock and Micro-Star International are expected to ship eight million motherboards and 5.5 million units respectively in 2013, the sources indicated.