AI PCs are becoming a no-brainer for IT decision makers

IT decision makers are bullish about AI PCs, according to analysis from IDC, with more than eight-in-ten saying they will positively impact employees.

In a survey conducted by IDC on behalf of AMD, respondents overwhelmingly agreed that AI PCs will help improve productivity.

IT decision makers noted that in-built AI capabilities will help eliminate repetitive tasks, enable employees to focus on critical workloads, and streamline efficiency.

With around eight-in-ten saying they plan to invest in AI PCs this year, IDC predicts that global commercial AI PC shipments will represent 93.9% of the market by 2028.

The rise of the AI PC has been a long time coming, and a host of major manufacturers have been ramping up development over the last 18 months.

Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger went so far as to claim AI PCs would be the ‘star of the show’ in 2024. While sales gained traction, the scale of adoption hasn’t quite been what manufacturers expected.

A study from Intel in November 2024 suggested sluggish uptake of AI PCs across both the enterprise and consumer market was due to a lack of understanding, with many users not quite seeing their full potential.

This hesitancy has also been reflected across the IT channel, according to research from Canalys. Research from the consultancy in late 2024 showed, once again, that the underlying value propositions of AI PCs weren't sufficiently clear to partners or customers.

What’s driving the shift to AI PCs?

That’s all changing, however. Part of the reason for the predicted boom in AI PCs is an upcoming major refresh cycle of systems dating back to 2020 or before.

In October this year, Microsoft will stop offering security updates for Windows 10 - which is still running on a huge percentage of commercial PCs.

Indeed, IDC said about 58% of the installed bases at the survey respondents’ companies were still running Windows 10 last year.

Six-in-ten IT decision makers said they planned to replace these ageing machines with new Windows 11 PCs, rather than upgrading their old systems to the new OS.

Notably, nearly three-quarters said that the release of AI PCs has accelerated their PC refresh plans.

"The AI PC era is here, and whether you're fully ready to embrace it or not, the fact is that the PC purchases you make now will be in your installed base for many years to come," wrote Tom Mainelli, IDC's group vice president, device and consumer research and Linn Huang, research vice president, devices and displays, in a research note.

"As you plan your company's final Windows 11 transition push, you must plan for both current and future AI workloads, recognizing that over the next few years, most apps will get AI features designed to leverage an AI PC's NPU."

There are, though, perceived barriers, including costs, privacy challenges and security risks.

"To address this, organizations should work closely with their hardware and silicon vendors to fully understand available technologies and how they align with business goals," IDC advised.

"These partnerships can help demystify AI PCs, enabling companies to identify on-device AI processing that addresses their unique challenges and delivers measurable value."

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