Are AI PCs becoming the norm?

As manufacturers increasingly embed NPUs in devices, what are the benefits to businesses?

The text "Are AI PCs becoming the norm?" against a dark macro photo of a laptop keyboard and screen. The words "AI PCs" are in yellow, the rest are in white. In the bottom-right corner, the ITPro Podcast logo is shown.
(Image credit: Future)
Rory Bathgate's avatar
By
published
in Features

The rise in popularity of generative AI has been centered largely around cloud AI, with popular chatbots and models accessed via API or dedicated websites. But with the right hardware, AI models can also be run on-device – and PC manufacturers are rushing to fill this niche.

AI PCs are quickly becoming the norm for new product lineups, with specialized hardware to run certain AI processes on-device, alongside integrated AI assistant software.

But what are the main benefits of this technology to businesses – and how far can we expect AI to transform the PC?

In this episode, Jane and Rory are joined by Ranjit Atwal, senior director analyst at Gartner, to explore the impact of AI on PCs and how it’s already being deployed at the edge.

Highlights

"There are very sound reasons to use the capabilities of an AI PC. So if you think about real time... Salesforce is thinking about, okay, in real time, some of our applications need to be closer to the user, and maybe using some of that real time data. So the latency and the security and the privacy of that data is secured on device."

"We've been saying that quite quickly, a large majority of PCs, because they've got NPUs, would all be AI PCs. So they will all be capable, the distinction is not whether it's an AI PC or not. The distinction will be, what kind of AI PC will you need to run?"

"So as [business leaders are] looking at buying the next fleet of AI PCs, and the price point differential hasn't been as big as it was maybe at the beginning of the year, memory pricing has come down, which means the overall pricing of those AI PCs has also come down. It makes them more feasible, and they're future proofing.

Footnotes

Subscribe 

Rory Bathgate
Rory Bathgate
Features and Multimedia Editor

Rory Bathgate is Features and Multimedia Editor at ITPro, overseeing all in-depth content and case studies. He can also be found co-hosting the ITPro Podcast with Jane McCallion, swapping a keyboard for a microphone to discuss the latest learnings with thought leaders from across the tech sector.

In his free time, Rory enjoys photography, video editing, and good science fiction. After graduating from the University of Kent with a BA in English and American Literature, Rory undertook an MA in Eighteenth-Century Studies at King’s College London. He joined ITPro in 2022 as a graduate, following four years in student journalism. You can contact Rory at rory.bathgate@futurenet.com or on LinkedIn.

Latest
You might also like
View More ▸