AI-powered PCs are motivating companies to accelerate their upgrades, focusing on tailored experiences for employees.

      By 2025, artificial intelligence is beginning to resonate as a buzzword with the general public, yet for businesses, it represents a daily reality and a route to accelerated growth. An IDC white paper backed by AMD reveals that AI PCs are instigating a significant upgrade cycle within the PC market, prompting companies to transition to computers that feature neural processing units (NPUs) for local AI task management.

      The white paper is grounded in a survey conducted in November 2024, targeting IT decision-makers (ITDMs) and featuring 670 respondents from large companies (with 500 or more employees) across the globe. Among these, many respondents hailed from major corporations, with 195 managers or higher from organizations with over 5,000 employees included. The industries represented are diverse, encompassing design and manufacturing, finance, and telecommunications.

      An impressive 73% of surveyed businesses indicate that the introduction of AI PCs in recent years has significantly influenced their plans, accelerating hardware refreshment needs. However, many still operate on Windows 10 (58%), amplifying the urgency to upgrade as this operating system nears the end of its life cycle, posing increased security risks. Nevertheless, 60% of those still on Windows 10 intend to upgrade to Windows 11 AI PCs that feature Copilot+.

      Unquestionably, these organizations are already integrating AI into their everyday workflows; 95% of the companies surveyed utilize or test AI within the cloud. AI is prevalent in various sectors, including manufacturing (for predictive maintenance), retail (for AI-driven recommendations), finance (for fraud detection), and healthcare (for AI-enhanced diagnostics). Employees are utilizing AI for numerous tasks, such as summarizing documents, generating content, and automating processes.

      The advantages of AI for businesses are abundant, and decision-makers are cognizant of this. They identify personalized user experiences (77%), improved data privacy (75%), and enhanced security (74%) as the primary benefits within a business context.

      Companies also anticipate that AI will simplify their employees' tasks, with 82% of respondents expressing positive expectations regarding AI's impact on the workforce. AI is expected to alleviate repetitive tasks (as indicated by 83% of survey participants), enable employees to concentrate on critical aspects (79%), and boost productivity (76%).

      However, managers acknowledge the hurdles associated with AI adoption. Challenges such as data privacy concerns (36%), security risks (26%), high expenses (31%), and regulatory compliance issues (25%) rank among the key obstacles businesses must address. These risks can be lessened by utilizing AI PCs, which process data locally rather than relying on cloud solutions.

      AMD is significantly involved in the development of new AI PCs, stating that it collaborates with OEMs like Dell, HP, and Lenovo to incorporate AI directly into their systems. Moreover, the company is investing in software development to ensure that the most recognized AI applications are optimized for AMD-equipped PCs.

      This survey clearly demonstrates that AI PCs are becoming a permanent fixture, and businesses are welcoming this trend. As Windows 10 approaches its end of life in October, we may witness a substantial increase in the adoption of AI PCs over the coming year.