Processor technology and software advancement are converging to enable a new generation of AI PCs that will unleash creativity, maximise convenience and – more generally – re-energise the PC market.
Gartner predicts that AI PCs will represent 43% of all PC shipments in 2025, up from 17% in 2024, with over half of laptops sold next year AI enabled.1
Many small businesses may be seeking to refresh their PC fleet with the end of Windows 10 support set for October 2025.
AI PCs will support the way businesses will evolve over the next three to five years. But to make the right investments, IT decision makers need to understand what key features elevates an AI PC into a business growth investment rather than a mere technology overhead.
The power of the NPU
The reason for this step change is a shift in focus for AI, as it moves from high-end, cloud-based services to tools and features running locally on the PC.
This shift is being accelerated by new OS-level features baked into Windows 11, and by growing support from software developers, including Adobe, Affinity, Zoom, Meta and Microsoft itself.
Most of all, it’s being driven by the release of a new wave of AI-enhanced processors, including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus and Elite processors and Intel’s Core Ultra 200V series, as found in the latest Latitude, XPS and Inspiron devices from Dell.
These processors boast powerful eight to 12-core CPUs and advanced GPUs for computation and 3D graphics, but also feature dedicated Neural Processing Units (NPUs) designed specifically to run genAI language models and complex AI inferencing tasks.
NPUs are rated for performance in terms of Trillions of Operations Per Second (TOPS), with 40 TOPS the minimum requirement to use Microsoft’s Copilot+ AI features, and the latest NPUs offering between 45 and 50 TOPS.
What can businesses do with that AI horsepower? Right now, it enables AI PCs to reduce distracting background noise and improve the lighting during video calls and meetings, enabling users to see and hear each other clearly.
It can simulate eye contact between the user and the camera, so that they appear engaged face to face, even when they’re looking off-centre at a window on the screen.
Couple this with more sophisticated auto-focusing, subject-tracking and HDR capabilities in the latest integrated webcams, and users can join video chats and meetings feeling confident they’ll make a great impression.
It also enables real-time English translation and captioning across many languages, while enabling the NPU to take on demanding Windows security burdens that were previously shouldered by the CPU.
It can also run some image, video or audio processing tasks more efficiently than the CPU or GPU. The NPU can even run select generative AI tasks locally, so that questions are answered or images generated on-device, without uploading sensitive information to the cloud.
CPUs or GPUs could manage many of these tasks, but with a steep price in terms of battery life and overall performance.
With users more inclined than ever to keep multiple apps running in the background and a dozen browser tabs ticking over, the NPU can take on some computational tasks to reduce CPU and GPU workloads and keep the system running smoothly.
What’s more, this is only the beginning. With AI PCs predicted to dominate the market, we can expect more genAI features to be built into Windows and mainstream business apps. Purchasing the right hardware now is a smart investment.
New ways to work
Flexible work across time zones is increasingly the norm – with workers potentially expected to be productive in hotels, coffee shops, or even on the train or a long-distance flight. Many employees will find themselves working between home and the office on the one device.
Here, Dell’s latest Latitude, XPS and Inspiron PCs bring tangible advantages. These devices are lightweight – often under 1.5Kg – but rugged enough to survive the drops, shocks and spills that go with life on the move.
They feature advanced wireless network connectivity, supporting the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard for seamless, high-bandwidth links to the home or office network, even when conditions aren’t ideal.
Meanwhile, USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4 ports enable a single-cable connection to docking solutions for a full desktop setup with keyboard, monitor and mouse, or the use of high-performance storage.
Where older PCs might leave workers stuck using yesterday’s technology, new hardware supports the best technology available.
Most of all, these new PCs have raised the bar for battery life. Thanks to more efficient processor architectures and the NPU, the latest Latitude, XPS and Inspiron laptops go far beyond the typical 10 to 14 hours of older devices, offering up to 27 hours of use.
Instead of worrying whether their laptop will make it through the day, users can work wherever they need to work, confident that they won’t have to recharge until tomorrow. What’s more, these devices stay quiet and cool, making for a comfortable working environment even when, for example, working without a hard surface.
Staying safe
Laptop PCs of previous generations were built for an earlier era of security, where IT teams had more direct control of the perimeter and endpoints, and ransomware was a growing problem, not the large-scale criminal enterprise that it’s become.
Now more firms are addressing a hostile threat landscape with a zero-trust security approach, where you trust nothing and verify everything through biometrics, smart cards, passwords and authentication apps.
Multi-factor authentication is a sensible safeguard, but it needs to be easy, consistent and fast. Dell’s latest AI and Copilot+ PCs support this through built-in fingerprint scanners or IR cameras for Windows Hello facial recognition, along with hardware-level storage and encryption for the biometric data.
What’s more, select Dell AI PCs feature hardware-level BIOS protection. When a PC boots up, this feature verifies that the firmware being loaded matches the last known good version and alerts the user if it’s been compromised.
At this point, any change can be remediated quickly, preventing malware or ransomware from gaining a foothold on the system.
New security features can even protect users while they’re travelling, hotdesking or checking their messages at the coffee shop.
Dell’s Intelligent Privacy feature uses built-in sensors to dim the screen when users aren’t paying attention or when they move away from the screen. If a longer absence is detected, the display or the system can be locked.
Meanwhile, an onlooker detection feature dims and obscures the screen when the sensor detects someone staring over your shoulder. These features don’t just preserve security but also extend battery life. They can’t be found on older PCs.
Empowering workers
The lines between business and consumer PCs are blurring. Some users now use the same device at home and in the office.
Others will be wondering why the tech they use at work doesn’t match the tech they use at home – particularly in smaller businesses, where older models may be passed down to junior members of the team.
This can be discouraging for younger workers, especially when new devices could empower every employee. AI has the potential to free up valuable time and reduce the pressure felt by hard-working employees.
A recent study by IDC for Microsoft found that AI features designed to summarise the content of files and visualize the data for answers and insights could save an estimated 36 minutes per day.2
AI-powered search features that enabled workers to find lost files could save an estimated 27 minutes. Quick actions for finding documents, composing emails faster and making common tasks easier through simple commands could save a further 32 minutes.
Other AI tools for meeting transcription and summarisation, drafting documents and spreadsheet analysis – not to mention software and services that automate mundane daily tasks – deliver further efficiency.
Pulling answers for a series of queries together is less onerous when your AI CoPilot can dig through emails, messages and documentation, and present you with accurate answers within seconds.
While many of these features currently rely on AI services based in the cloud, you can expect more of them to run locally in the near future, as speed, latency and security make on-device processing the smarter choice. Only AI PCs will have the CPU, GPU and NPU performance required.
The time saved is time that workers could be using to unleash their creativity, again with AI assistance. Not only can genAI tools support innovative thinking by helping with research and creating supporting content, but AI CoPilots can provide an effective sounding board, helping employees form new ideas and workshop them, or gather the questions, answers and material to support a decision or a business case.
Any PC fleet refresh is a case of aiming at a fast-moving target, looking at how new technology and working practices are evolving, and ensuring that your devices are equipped to keep up.
By buying AI PCs now, and investing in their CPU, GPU and NPU capabilities, businesses can put themselves in the best possible position to boost their productivity, harden security and prepare for genAI-enhanced success.
To find out more about Dell’s AI PC line-up, click here.
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1 Gartner Forecasts Worldwide Shipments of AI PCs to Account for 43% of All PCs in 2025, September 2024, https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-09-25-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-shipments-of-artificial-intelligence-pcs-to-account-for-43-percent-of-all-pcs-in-2025
2 Understanding Employee Productivity and Satisfaction Benefits of Next-Generation AI PCs as You Plan Your Next Refresh, IDC, August 2024, IDC #US52350024