Dive Brief:
- AI-enabled PCs and laptops may soon be the only hardware choice for enterprises, according to a Gartner report published Wednesday.
- By next year, Gartner forecasts AI PCs will command 43% of all PC shipments. AI laptops are expected to account for 51% of total laptop shipments in 2025. The firm projects large enterprises won't have the option to acquire standard laptops by 2026 as vendors lean into edge computing capabilities.
- “The question for businesses is which AI PC to buy rather than should they buy one,” Ranjit Atwal, senior director analyst at Gartner, said Wednesday in a release. “Businesses are unlikely to pay a premium for AI features but will purchase AI PCs for future proofing and because this is their only choice that offers a more secure and private computing environment.”
Dive Insight:
The race to enhance the processing power of PCs and laptops is shaping enterprise hardware decisions.
“The debate has moved from speculating which PCs might include AI functionality, to the expectation that most PCs will eventually integrate AI NPU capabilities,” Atwal said.
The major PC manufacturers, such as Dell, HP, Lenovo and Intel, have introduced AI features, including beefed up capabilities and enhanced chips. More enterprises are expected to turn to vendor offerings to ease hardware hurdles associated with AI adoption, but other notable barriers to implementation remain.
Technology pros rank data privacy atop the list of ethical concerns countering progress, according to a recent Deloitte report. IT leaders are also worried about the transparency and accuracy of systems as well as risks around intellectual property ownership.
Businesses grapple with outdated data practices as well. More than 3 in 5 organizations say there is a significant gap between existing data ecosystems and what’s needed for AI, according to Enterprise Strategy Group research.
