Partner content: What the AI PC means for IT leaders

There is always a new challenge awaiting IT leaders as they open their laptops each day. Whether it’s a new migration or transformation project, cyber security challenges or remote working initiatives, CIOs across the country are constantly balancing workload and budget limitations with the demands placed on them by their organisations.

Now AI presents enormous new opportunities and risks as its promise unfolds.

Separating the noise and horizon gazing from the genuine business value, here and now, is trickier than ever when it comes to AI. One area where the potential benefits are most immediate and widespread is AI PCs. Thanks to their integrated neural processing units (NPUs) and rapidly developing Microsoft Copilot and application features, they promise to put real world business advantages in the hands of entire enterprise workforces.

Computing’s latest research reveals and addresses the strategy, business, and technology considerations facing IT leaders today when it comes to AI PCs.

The key takeaways are clear. End user organisations recognise the importance of AI PCs for their near and longer-term device strategy, and there is tacit acknowledgement that, when typical device refresh cycles are three to five years long, the device deployment decisions we make today have implications throughout that lifecycle. A degree of foresight and forward planning is required for this new but hugely promising market.

A growing market

Even though the AI PC market is still emerging, it is surprisingly mature given how long such products have been available. This reflects a sizable appetite amongst IT leaders, and a concerted effort on the part of vendors and channel partners to promote the value of these new devices.

Computing’s research found that 28 per cent of organisations are either actively implementing an AI PC rollout or reviewing them as part their device refresh plans.

Almost a third of organisations anticipate that within two years all new devices deployed will be AI PCs by default – a resounding endorsement of the category becoming ubiquitous.

However, this is likely partly due to the expectation that hardware vendor offerings will be predominantly AI PCs in the longer term. Either way, the onus is on IT leaders to grasp the value for their organisations and identify use cases for AI acceleration on local devices.

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Helping Copilot to take off

While the AI features of Microsoft Copilot are not currently dependent on the device being an AI PC, current adoption rates of Copilot indicate the market’s appetite for AI capabilities employed across entire workforces. It also speaks to the importance of such AI features being well integrated into existing workflows and software ecosystems, whether that’s Microsoft 365 or any number of business-critical creative, productivity, and collaboration tools.

Forty-one per cent of organisations are already using Copilot for day-to-day functions, with 1-in-10 of those surveyed doing so across their entire workforce. A further 35 per cent are either testing its use or planning a rollout.

Just 14 per cent have no interest in Copilot at all. Short of their businesses having very specific reasons for neglecting the potential benefits of Copilot, it seems unwise to not keep at least one eye on its promising evolution.

Beyond Copilot, Microsoft stand to benefit from the AI PC market when it comes to their OS ambitions. Around a third of those surveyed agreed that the adoption of AI PCs and Copilot will incentivise the migration to Windows 11 at their organisation.

A long-term view

There is huge promise within the emerging AI PC market. However, IT leaders are as wary as they are excited by the promise of AI. It heralds uncertainty in its challenges as well as its benefits – and uncertainty doesn’t encourage investment.

For those vendors, channel providers and end user buyers who successfully navigate this, there are substantial business-wide gains to be had. Putting AI into the hands of entire workforces promises scalable benefits as part of our regular refresh cycles. This is the low-hanging fruit of this new AI era.

Almost three-quarters of respondents agree that, “The core value and payback in AI PCs will be over the next few years, rather than at launch." In other words, the return will be within the next refresh cycle.

This means IT leaders, and channel partners alike, must get on top of their AI PC strategies today, or risk missing out on the business and commercial benefits of what will surely be one of the fastest growing markets in the enterprise hardware space.

Visit our dedicated content hub, in association with Intel and Dell, to discover our latest DESKFLIX episode. By learning from peers and industry experts alike, these sessions, alongside supporting content and research, equip technology leaders to build their AI PC strategy with confidence.

This Article is sponsored by Intel