AI-driven personal computers to account for 43% of all PC shipments in 2025

They will be the only choice of laptop available to large businesses by 2026, Gartner says

Personal computers powered by AI are expected to drive a strong rebound in the global PC market. PA

Personal computers powered by artificial intelligence will account for 43 per cent of worldwide PC shipments in 2025, up from 17 per cent this year, a new study has shown.

Shipments of AI PCs are projected to total 114 million units in 2025, an increase of 165.5 per cent from 2024, according to US research firm Gartner. It forecast AI PC shipments to reach 43 million units in 2024, a 99.8 per cent increase from 2023.

The company defines an AI PC as a personal computer with an embedded neural processing unit (NPU). AI PCs include personal computers with NPUs attached to Windows on Arm, macOS on Arm and x86 on Windows PCs.

“The debate has moved from speculating which PCs might include AI functionality, to the expectation that most PCs will eventually integrate AI NPU capabilities,” said Ranjit Atwal, senior director analyst at Gartner. “As a result, NPU will become a standard feature for PC vendors.”

Personal computers powered by AI are expected to drive a strong rebound in the global PC market, which continues to grapple with weak demand, a study by Counterpoint Research showed last year.

AI PCs are projected to have a 10-year compound annual growth rate of 50 per cent from 2020, eventually dominating the market after 2026, with a penetration rate of more than 50 per cent, Counterpoint Research said.

PC manufacturers are looking for the next jolt to their businesses and AI, which has exploded in popularity thanks to generative AI, might be that new growth engine.

AI provides added power to computers' abilities, including making computational tasks such as deep learning training more effective.

Counterpoint, however, acknowledged that AI PCs may not gain much traction in its earliest stages. But it said “with the increase in applications around the world, AI PCs could progress tremendously” in the second half of 2024.

Gartner research showed that demand for AI laptops is projected to be higher than for AI desktops, with shipments of AI laptops to account for 51 per cent of total laptops in 2025.

The company predicted that by 2026, AI laptops will be the only choice of laptop available to large businesses, up from less than 5 per cent in 2023.

“As the PC market moves from non-AI PCs to AI PCs, x-86 dominance will reduce over time, especially in the consumer AI laptop market, as Arm-based AI laptops will grab more share from Windows x86 AI and non-AI laptops,” said Mr Atwal. “However, in 2025, Windows x86-based AI laptops will lead the business segment.”

The question for businesses is which AI personal computer to buy rather than should they buy one, according to Mr Atwal.

“However, 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,” he added.