You DO See Windows 11 As An AI PC Opportunity, Say Dell And Intel

With three months to go until Microsoft ends support for Windows 10, Dell and Intel want to convince corporate buyers that upgrading their PC fleet is a virtue and not a necessity.

In a specially drafted "Windows 11 & AI PC Readiness Report" [PDF], the two vendors argue that businesses should see this as not just an operating system upgrade, but a not-to-be-missed opportunity to ready themselves for the dubious benefits of AI.

"While it could be easy to think it's a simple OS update, we see it as an opportunity for businesses to reimagine how PCs and IT infrastructure can help create greater productivity, collaboration, and increased security," writes Dell UK's Client Solutions Group senior director, Louise Quennell, in a foreword to the report.

And how can they do this? By prioritizing AI-ready PCs in their refresh cycle, of course.

Intel technical sales specialist Jimmy Wai goes further, hailing the "profound significance" of this refresh cycle as "the gateway to the next generation of computing."

"We're seeing strong recognition of this shift among your fellow UK IT decision makers (ITDMs), who understand that AI-capable hardware is essential for their future operations. We can see that you view the Windows 10 End-of-Service deadline as a prime opportunity to refresh PC fleets with AI-ready machines," he says.

But market intelligence firm Context told The Register last month that demand for AI PCs is "pretty slow," despite a big push from the major brands, due to a combination of reasons.

"The biggest issue is still the lack of a killer app or software that justifies the investment," said Marie-Christine Pygott, Context senior analyst for Personal Systems.

"Linked to that is the fact that the commercial segment in particular is still figuring out what AI overall can do for them, what apps are relevant, how exactly they can benefit but also what they are actually allowed to use when it comes to security, so it is still pretty early days for the whole AI topic."

It might also have something to do with the fact that PC makers expect to charge a premium price for AI-ready systems, something that Gartner analyst Ranjit Atwal said may have to give if they want buyers to bite.

Dell and Intel's report contains figures from a survey of 1,000 IT decision makers conducted by Focaldata. It finds, unsurprisingly, with Windows 10 support ending on October 14, that 80 percent of UK businesses are switching to Windows 11, although there are some barriers to migration.

These include concerns over software and hardware compatibility and the potential for disruption to business processes.

In fact, some businesses see buying AI PCs as too risky at present, because there is no AI standard for software to work, as Directions on Microsoft highlighted last year.

Compatibility concerns stem from Microsoft's hardware requirements for Windows 11, which mean that many Windows 10 systems that may have been deployed only a few years ago will not be capable of being upgraded to the new code.

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It may also have something to do with uncertainty over what exactly makes an AI PC; Intel's definition is simply a system with a CPU, GPU and an NPU (neural processing unit). However, Microsoft came up with its own definition of "Copilot+ PC" to describe Windows systems with an NPU capable of 40 TOPS or more, which is one measure of AI processing performance.

Dell and Intel's report says that 62 percent of respondents are more likely to choose a Copilot+ Al PC, while 21 percent would opt for a "regular" AI PC, and 12 percent are unsure.

To follow this up, 64 percent of respondents felt it was either critical or very critical for their organization to ensure that new PCs are powerful enough to run Al applications effectively – which perhaps explains why many are not rushing to buy just yet.

The report also claims that advanced security features and greater employee productivity are the top benefits of Windows 11 and its support for AI applications.

Ironically, however, a study published last year by none other than Intel found that workers using PCs with built-in AI services are less productive than those using traditional hardware.

Despite that, the latest report states that Windows 11 and AI PCs can be "a differentiator in today's AI-driven world," and organizations that embrace AI "will gain a significant edge in productivity," while those that delay risk falling behind.

But as we have noted before, the chances are everyone will end up using an AI PC sooner or later, because you won't be able to buy any computer that isn't AI-enabled before long.  Recent forecasts estimate that these systems may account for 43 percent of PCs sold this year, and make up the bulk of the market in 2026.

That doesn't stop Dell and Intel from giving it the hard sell: "The question isn't about whether your organization will make this transition but whether you'll do so as a leader," the report concludes, adding that the pair offer comprehensive support to help your biz make its transition, including expert guidance, flexible financing options and sundry other resources. ®