"Replacement wave" for AI PCs? Chip and PC manufacturers can't wait, but the enterprise side is still watching

Despite AI bringing "excitement" to chip and PC manufacturers, CIOs are still not convinced that everyone needs an AI PC. Over the past year, with chip manufacturers like Qualcomm, AMD, and PC manufacturers like Lenovo, Dell, etc., competing to launch various new AI products, the PC industry has seen a major innovation in many years. However, according to the latest media survey, some Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are hesitant about these high-priced new devices: They will only provide AI PCs to specific technology teams, and will consider AI PCs when the cost is lower and the products are more mature, only considering AI PCs when the devices are due for replacement... Enterprises are still observing Some CIOs are skeptical about whether the new devices are worth it, with some pointing out that they will first equip data scientists and other technical roles, while others say they will only choose to purchase AI PCs during regular device replacement cycles. For example, Elizabeth Hackenson, CIO of Schneider Electric, stated that due to cost considerations, she will only consider equipping AI-enabled PCs for specific technology teams, such as product or AI teams. Jay Ferro, CIO of Clario, plans to initially invest in such devices for technical positions like data scientists and engineers, and mentioned that waiting for a while can get more mature products to avoid early adoption costs being too high. As key players in the industry, Dell and Lenovo are actively promoting AI PC products. Dell pointed out that a 14-inch laptop with AI capabilities is priced at $1,339, only $230 higher than a similar-sized non-AI device. Daryl Cromer, Chief Technology Officer of Lenovo, emphasized that although the price of AI PCs is higher, considering the additional value they bring, this investment is very worthwhile. What are the advantages of AI PCs? AI PCs can reduce latency, decrease cloud service costs, enhance data security and privacy protection by running AI models directly on the device rather than relying on cloud computing, thereby supporting more effective deployment of AI technology in various fields such as code generation and content creation. At the same time, some large AI models are still too large to run on devices and still need to rely on cloud computing or hybrid cloud devices. Kedar Kondap, Vice President of Product Management at Qualcomm, emphasized the incomparable advantages of AI PCs in security, privacy, and immediacy. Jason James, CIO of retail software developer Aptos, also pointed out that AI PCs can avoid transmitting sensitive data to the cloud, thereby better protecting data security and reducing the burden on cloud computing. Whether AI is enabled or not, according to Gartner's data, it is expected that enterprise device spending will grow by 4.9% to approximately $190 billion by 2024. This growth is due to many companies' upcoming replacement cycles Sam Burd, head of Dell's Client Solutions Group, urges CIOs to consider investing in AI PCs when the upgrade cycle arrives to avoid the risk of technological obsolescence in the near future