“We expect the first wave of demand to come from our marketing clients. If you are working with large files and media, the advanced processor can significantly reduce the time and also do it locally without the need for an Internet connection,” Gary McConnell, CEO of VirtuIT, told CRN.
The coolest AI PCs for business transmit data through silicon from all vendors, as the biggest brands now have the most innovative chips from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm, in a race for TOPS – the benchmark of neural processing capabilities of a device.
While the metric may not yet be a common acronym, experts believe this is the year that could change, with Forrester calling 2025 “the year of the PC AI,” and Gary McConnell, CEO of platinum partner of Dell VirtuIT, telling CRN that there is a new field emerging for AI PCs among professional creatives who benefit from on-device AI capabilities.
“We expect the first wave of demand to come from our marketing clients. If you are working with large files and media, the advanced processor can significantly reduce the time and also do it locally without the need for an Internet connection,” McConnell told CRN. “TOPS is not yet a common term like IOPS, but I’m sure it will get there with time.”
(RELATED: The end of Microsoft’s Windows 10 could trigger the start of new PC spending (AI)
One of the selling points for manufacturers is the capabilities built into devices. Lenovo boasts that all of its AI PCs can run Meta’s Llama 3.1 AI model locally without the Internet, allowing users to access generative information without connectivity.
Qualcomm chips are also playing a leading role among PC makers, with Dell’s entire new AI PC line featuring the processors. Lenovo and HP have also incorporated the chip into their high-end designs.
In its trends report titled “The Year of the AI PC is 2025,” market research firm Forrester said that one way to determine which PC is an AI PC and which is not is to determine how much processing it can accomplish on the device. . The best AI PCs have the right integrated chips and can orchestrate the transfer of workloads between a CPU, GPU and NPU to leverage AI for a better user experience, the report said.
“(Most) AI processing still happens within cloud services,” Forrester wrote. “AI PCs are now disrupting the cloud-only AI model to bring this processing to local devices running any operating system.”
Businesses are getting into it in hopes of increasing productivity, improving collaboration, and optimizing device performance and longevity.
“They will learn individual productivity preferences, filter notifications and hijack content while a developer tries to code or alert a salesperson when a high-value prospect responds via email. The PC AI will even provide suggestions on how to best structure the day to support optimal productivity,” Forrester said.
Another research firm, IDC, also expects AI PC sales to take longer to mature, with that company looking to 2026 when AI PC sales will increase.
“Even though we expect AI to become ubiquitous at some point late this decade, the ramp-up to the mass market will take longer than expected, until 2026,” he writes . Linn Huang, IDC Vice President of Research, Devices and Displays. “The year and change ahead will largely be about the development of software, use cases and target audiences for this AI-enabled hardware.”
As part of CRN AI PC Week 2024here are the 10 coolest AI PCs we’ve found and ready to go.
Price: $1,505
This device features the AMD Zen 5 processor with an integrated AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 processor, Lenovo said. It has 64 GB of dual-channel memory running at 7,500 MHz.
Lenovo claims it can perform 50 trillion operations per second
Lenovo claims the machine is designed to empower professionals and deliver uncompromising creativity to every user with a battery life of up to 17 hours. Lenovo claims that this device can offload the heavy AI work to the machine’s NPU engine, increasing speed and efficiency.
The ThinkPad t14 Gen 6 is also capable of running the Copilot+ Windows experience where available from Microsoft.
ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition
Price: $2,199
This AI laptop with all-day battery life is also the one that Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said he was carrying in his backpack when he appeared on stage at Lenovo Tech World. The rest of us will have to wait until February 2025, when it will be generally released.
It has an OLED display with 120Hz refresh for sharper viewing in tablet or laptop mode, Lenovo says.
The device can also adapt to the user’s needs with AI-based smart modes that can help reduce distractions and prioritize focusing on work, as well as make it easier to share files between devices. It includes a troubleshooting bot and can help users with wellness reminders regarding posture, breaks and eye strain, Lenovo said.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition
Price: $2,159
Developed with Intel, this generation of X1 Carbon features the chip manufacturer’s Core Ultra (Series 2) processors combined with an Intel Arc Xe graphics card. The X1 Carbon hits 45 TOPS, Lenovo said. The device carries up to 32 GB of onboard memory.
Lenovo said that all of this put together generates “3x AI performance”, based on Intel’s internal performance projections. It comes with a 14-inch Dolby Vision 2.8k display and a 120Hz refresh rate for crisp lines during rapid on-screen movements.
The 57 watt-hour battery promises 18 hours of battery life to support long work days. It also offers Copilot+ PC features where available from Microsoft.
The new mouse pad now also provides haptic feedback.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x Laptop (14″ Snapdragon)
Price: $999
This Yoga Slim is not only lightweight (less than three pounds), it packs a Snapdragon X Elite X1E78100 processor with 12 CPU cores running at 3.4 GHz. The laptop has an integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU.
Yoga Slim uses 32GB of dual-channel memory running at 8,448MHz and has a fast charging feature that will give users 3 hours of battery life with a 15-minute plug-in. It features a 14-inch PureSight 3K OLED touchscreen display offering 1,000 nits peak brightness in high definition with a 70 watt-hour battery.
Dell XPS 13 Laptop
Price: $1,299
Dell says this XPS has built-in AI that delivers industry-leading responsiveness and speed to navigate demanding workloads and free up time to be more creative, while spending less time charging.
This is Dell’s thinnest and lightest XPS and promises 27 hours of battery life as well as fast charging. The XPS 13 features Copilot+ and is powered by a Snapdragon X Elite X1E80100 processor with 12 cores running at up to 3.4 GHz. It has an integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU and together it can deliver 45 TOPS of NPU power.
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
Price: $1,099
The Inspiron 14 Plus is equipped with a Snapdragon It has an integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU and an integrated NPU and can be loaded with a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD hard drive.
The model has a 14-inch touchscreen that refreshes at 60 Hz and has a brightness of 400 nits. The Inspiron 14 Plus has a battery life of 17 hours.
Dell Latitude 7455
Price: $1,849
Dell’s premium slim AI PC laptop delivers a thick 45 TOPS thanks to its Qualcomm chipset. It has a Snapdragon This model has 32 GB of memory and storage that reaches 1 GB of NVMe SSD.
The QHD display is a 14-inch touchscreen with 400 nits brightness. The Latitude has a battery life of 21 hours and is compatible with Express Charge and Express Charge Boost, Dell said.
HP EliteBook
Price: to be determined
HP calls the EliteBook /s, in September. 2024.
This device is still listed as “coming soon”, but it claims to hit that 55 TOPS using AMD Ryzen AI300 processors, which is on the high end for AI PCs on this list.
HP says this will give users the ability to remove lag and run complex AI models locally. This EliteBook comes with up to 64GB of memory, 2TB of NVMe SSD storage, and a 14-inch anti-glare touchscreen.
HP said it was designed for users to “boldly innovate” with secure, next-generation AI capabilities built into a package weighing 3.3. books.
HP EliteBook Ultra G1q Next Generation AI PC
Price: $1,699
Available now, this HP uses a Snapdragon AI locally.
Although HP talks about the PC’s optimized battery life, it doesn’t make any promises in terms of hours, but HP’s fast charging capabilities will give users 50% battery life in 30 minutes when running. low, HP said. It has a 14-inch touchscreen offering 400 nits brightness.
HP ZBook Power G11
Price: $2,049
The HP ZBook Power G11 is touted as an AI workstation capable of delivering superior on-device AI performance and security at an affordable price. It runs either an Intel Core Ultra 7 or AMD Ryzen 9 Pro processor and has a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3000 Ada laptop GPU. The device can be equipped with up to 64 GB of memory and pack 8 TB of PCLe Gen4 NVMe storage.
The Zbook has a 16-inch 2K display with a 120 MHz refresh rate and 400 nits brightness. HP said it was designed to handle 3D modeling as well as AI-based content creation and multitasking.