Exciting news for tech enthusiasts! Gartner analysts are buzzing with optimism about the future of AI-enabled PCs. A recent report predicts a significant growth in AI-enabled PC shipments, with a staggering 43% of all PCs expected to be AI-enabled by 2025, soaring from a mere 17% in 2024.
This trend falls in line with the strategic initiatives of industry giants Microsoft and Apple, who are gearing up to seamlessly integrate generative AI into their devices. While Apple’s Intelligence features are still in the pipeline, the hardware required for these innovations is already embedded in their devices. On the flip side, Microsoft’s Copilot is paving the way for more accessible AI integration.
Is the era of AI PCs upon us, or is this just another passing tech trend?
AI PC shipments predicted to grow by 165%
Gartner’s forecast indicates a whopping 165.5% growth in AI PC shipments, expected to reach 114 million units by 2025, a significant leap from 2024. Furthermore, by 2026, AI PCs are projected to become the go-to choice for large businesses when procuring new laptops.
The report defines AI PCs as those equipped with neural processing units, such as Windows on Arm, macOS on Arm, and x86 on Windows PCs. Leading devices like Microsoft’s Surface 7th Edition and later models, along with laptops powered by Apple’s M3 and M4 chips, already feature NPUs.
Amidst this, a fierce competition for AI chips continues to brew, with cloud vendors striving to reduce reliance on dominant suppliers.
According to Ranjit Atwal, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, “As the PC market transitions from non-AI PCs to AI PCs, x-86 dominance is expected to diminish over time, particularly in the consumer AI laptop sphere, with Arm-based AI laptops gaining a larger share from Windows x86 AI and non-AI laptops. However, in 2025, Windows x86-based AI laptops are set to lead the business segment.”
Other key revelations from the report include:
- AI-enabled laptops will make up 51% of total laptops in 2025.
- NPU-equipped laptops constituted a mere 5% of laptops available to large businesses in 2023.
Atwal emphasized, “The transition from speculating which PCs might integrate AI functionalities to the anticipation that most PCs will ultimately feature AI NPU capabilities is well underway, making NPU a standard offering for PC vendors.”
Drawbacks of generative AI’s ubiquity in PCs
In a correspondence with TechRepublic, Atwal highlighted the growing consumer awareness regarding the importance of future-proofing their tech investments.
He added, “However, the return on investment of AI is still under evaluation, and lacking clear ‘killer apps,’ many consumers are hesitant to pay a premium for AI capabilities in their laptops in the near term.”
Generative AI offers a myriad of advantages, such as content creation and even code writing capabilities, yet debates persist on whether the output meets professional quality standards. Reports also indicate that AI-generated code may be erroneous, posing security risks or potentially leading developers to scrutinize their work less rigorously. While AI garners significant investment, proving ROI remains a challenge, with around 30% of AI projects abandoned post proof-of-concept stage.
Atwal also expressed concerns about the environmental footprint of AI technology, citing research that suggests potential negative environmental impacts. However, he highlighted a silver lining, noting that local processing on devices with new NPU technology could offset some energy-intensive cloud data processing, reducing the need for data transmission to the cloud in specific scenarios.
Despite the challenges, Atwal remains optimistic about a future steered by AI advancements, stating, “The benefits will become more apparent as we shift from reactive AI practices to proactive measures driven by generative AI (GenAI and AI Agents).”