Following China-based chip maker Rockchip entering the supply chain for Chromebooks, additional China-based makers including Bitland and BYD are expected to further their presence in Chromebook supply chain in 2015 in order to meet upcoming demand from vendors as they expand their lineups, according to Digitimes Research.
Samsung and Quanta have been major players in the Chromebook market, and Compal has seen orders from Lenovo and Acer. However, going into 2015 Google's strategy will include expanding its mix of suppliers, which means the market will witness increased influence from BYD, Bitland and Rockchip.
Additionally, Bitland has already become a long-term notebook producer for Lenovo and is also a main motherboard OEM for the vendor, which is reflected in Bitland's efforts to establish facilities in Hefei, China specifically for Lenovo.
Digitimes Research also noted Acer and Samsung are likely to start relying less on Quanta for Chromebook solutions as they expand their product mixes, but any significant changes are not likely to occur until 2016.