Expectations for AI PCs in 2024

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What Is an AI PC?

AI PCs have created significant buzz in an otherwise commoditized industry where demand has plunged since the accelerated pandemic buying cycle of 2020 and 2021. The definition of AI PC varies by PC OEM and silicon provider, but there is consensus that at its core AI PCs are purpose-built machines meant to enable accelerated AI workloads by leveraging specialized hardware that can include a neural processing unit (NPU).

 

However, in this current phase of AI PC, hardware is well ahead of software development. With Intel starting shipments of its Meteor Lake processors in December 2023, PCs with NPUs are beginning to come to market in volume albeit applications that require specialized AI PCs to run are few and far between.

 

Understanding that despite the bright future of AI PC, near-term commercial PC refreshes could potentially be delayed as organizations await the development of the first “killer application” that markedly differentiates performance between these new AI-optimized machines and PCs that are presently deployed.

Watch TBR Senior Analyst Ben Carbonneau Discuss Predictions for the AI PC, and the Devices Market as a Whole, in 2024

Predictions for the Devices Industry in 2024

Prediction: PC OEMs continue to await the ramping of the post-pandemic PC refresh cycle, anticipating low-single-digit market growth in 2024.

Prediction: The introduction of AI PCs will impact the rate of commercial PC refresh in 2024.

Prediction: Windows on ARM will gradually gain momentum in the near- to long-term as ARM-native Windows applications are developed and as Microsoft works to mitigate issues associated with backward compatibility.

 

TBR’s Devices market and competitive intelligence research covers the interrelated ecosystems of device vendors, platform providers, supplier and technology partners across consumer and commercial spaces. Each quarter we publish competitor and market benchmarking as well as market sizing, vendor positioning, strategies and customer adoption trends for the market as a whole. Additionally, we publish individual analysis on Apple, Dell Technologies, HP Inc. and Lenovo Group.

 

To learn more about TBR’s predictions for the devices industry in 2024, check out our recent interview with Senior Analyst Ben Carbonneau.