TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The global PC market has suffered from a heavy post-COVID hangover for the past couple of years, recording consecutive double-digit declines of 13.8% in 2023 and 16.6% in 2022, according to research firm IDC. This year's big question is whether the recent launch of the AI PC will inject new life into the market and return it to growth.
Semiconductor giant Intel unveiled the AI PC category at a glitzy "AI Everywhere" event on Dec. 14 last year, along with its new Intel Core Ultra processor. The company is so confident about the prospects for this new category that Michelle Johnston Holthaus, executive vice president and general manager of the company's Client Computing Group, has projected sales of more than 100 million units in the next two years.
AMD and Qualcomm, which have also announced processors targeted at the same segment, are extremely positive about their potential. Nvidia, the undisputed leader in providing high-performance GPU (Graphics Processing Units) for the data center servers used to handle generative AI workloads, is equally optimistic about the prospects of the AI PC market overall. However, it stresses the importance of installing an additional GPU in the system to run performance-intensive generative AI models and applications, including gaming and rich digital media content creation.
The defining feature of an AI PC is that it is powered by a processor featuring a dedicated NPU (neural processing unit) that can run generative AI applications and smart assistants such as Microsoft CoPilot locally on the system rather than over the cloud. This approach improves system performance when handling AI workloads, strengthens data security and privacy, improves power efficiency, and reduces dependency on cloud services.
As shown at CES, the fierce competition between the four semiconductor giants is building widespread awareness and momentum around the AI PC. Taiwan's leading computer hardware manufacturers, such as Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI, all had AI PCs on display at the event and are playing a pivotal role in the global roll-out of this new category by designing and building new notebook and desktop models for international OEM customers and their brand.
As with any major technology transition, the shift to the AI PC will not happen overnight. However, its arrival is expected to help restore the PC market to single-digit growth this year, followed by a double-digit rise in 2025 as corporate replacement cycles kick in.
For the PC market to accelerate, the focus must increasingly shift towards software innovation. The remarkable strides in generative AI technology over the past two years have laid a solid foundation, but there is still significant room for further progress. The future hinges on developing innovative tools, models, and applications that enhance the AI PC user experience by making it more engaging, intuitive, and user-friendly. This approach will be pivotal in unlocking the transformative potential of the AI PC and driving the market toward a more dynamic and expansive growth phase.
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