By Meghna Sharma No, Acer is not a Chinese company. It is a Taiwanese multinational manufacturer of electronics and computer hardware with headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan. Even though Acer manufactures most of its products in China, its corporate control and profits remain in Taiwan. Acer’s main products include PCs, laptops, gaming-oriented laptops and desktops, tablet computers, Chromebooks, monitors, projectors, smartphones and IoT devices. The company sells its products under various brand names like Acer, Nitro, Predator, ConceptD, Packard Bell and Gateway.
| Details | Info |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Stan Shih |
| Headquarters | Taipei, Taiwan |
| CEO | Jason Chen |
| Sector | Electronics, Computer hardware |
Company History
Acer was founded in the year 1976 as Multitech by Stan Shih. It started as a semiconductor and electronics trading company. In the year 1981, the company launched its first major product, Micro-Professor MPF-I training kit. This was followed by the release of Microprofessor II and III. In the year 1987, Multitech was renamed Acer.
Acer acquired Counterpoint Computers in 1988. By 1991, the company had subsidiaries in Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia. In the year 1995, Acer launched Aspire Series of laptops. By the late 1990s, Acer had become the third-largest PC brand in the world. The company acquired Gateway Inc. and Packard Bell in US and Europe respectively in the year 2007.
In the year 2015, Acer launched Predator brand of gaming laptops. It was followed by Chromebooks and thin-and-light laptops. By 2016, the company had expanded its Predator brand to monitors and desktops. In the year 2019, Acer launched the esports social platform, PLANET9.
Acer registered strong growth in Chromebooks and gaming in the 2020-23 period.
Current Status
Acer is ranked fifth in the list of top PC vendors in the world, with a global market share of around 7%. Its strongest market share is in Europe, Middle East and Africa, followed by Asia-Pacific. Acer is ranked one in the Chromebook segment. Overall, the company has operations in more than 160 countries worldwide.
China is the largest manufacturing hub for Acer, accounting for around 70% of its global production. However, the company is expanding its manufacturing facilities in India, Mexico, Vietnam and Indonesia for regional markets. Acer designs and markets its products but has outsourced manufacturing to contract manufacturers.
Future Outlook
Acer is looking to strengthen its presence in high-margin segments like gaming, AI-enabled PCs and commercial solutions. The company is seeking to position itself for sustained growth through localisation, innovation and diversification. Acer aims to accelerate production outside China to 15-25% by 2026.