The AI computer market is on the rise: the global share will reach 14% in the second quarter of 2024

 As technology develops rapidly, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is gradually penetrating into various fields, and the personal computer (PC) market is no exception. Recently, a report by market research firm Canalys showed that the global AI PC accounted for 14% in the second quarter of 2024, which indicates that the AI ​​PC market is rising rapidly.

In the second quarter of 2024, AI PC shipments reached 8.8 million units. These devices cover desktops and notebooks, which are equipped with chipsets or modules for dedicated AI workloads, such as NPU. AI PC shipments accounted for 14% of total PC shipments in the quarter, and this increase in proportion has added huge momentum to the expansion of AI PCs.

Ishan Dutt, chief analyst at Canalys, said that the Copilot+PC equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon X series chips based on Arm architecture was officially released in June. Although the shipments this quarter were relatively small due to the short time to market and limited coverage, Windows OEMs promised to widely adopt Copilot+PC with Snapdragon chips in their product portfolio, indicating a good prospect for such products. Meanwhile, in the x86 space, Intel accelerated the delivery of its Core Ultra chipsets, and its AI PCs performed strongly month-on-month, while AMD released its Ryzen AI 300 series notebook processors in June and plans to start releasing notebook products in mid-July.

As the AI ​​PC plans of major processor suppliers gradually advance, AI PC supply and user adoption are expected to increase significantly in the second half of 2024 and beyond. Canalys predicts that AI PC shipments will reach 44 million units in 2024 and are expected to reach 103 million units by 2025.

In terms of manufacturers, Apple's performance is particularly outstanding. Its entire Mac product line uses M-series chips with neural engines, which puts Apple in a leading position in AI PC output shipments and market share. In the Windows space, AI PC shipments increased by 127% month-on-month.

Specifically, Lenovo, the world's largest PC maker by shipments, helped its AI PCs account for about 6% of total Windows PC shipments by launching Yoga Slim 7x and ThinkPad T14s powered by Snapdragon X processors, which means AI PC shipments grew 228% month-over-month. HP's AI PCs accounted for about 8% of Windows PC shipments, and in addition to launching more Core Ultra devices across its product lines, it also launched the Omnibook x14 and Elitebook Ultra g1 powered by Snapdragon processors and Copilot+ technology. Dell, with its strong commercial influence, helped AI PCs account for just under 7% of Windows PC shipments, launching Copilot+ PCs in its XPS, Latitude, and Inspiron series, but with staggered launches.

For PC OEMs, a key benefit of AI PCs is the growth of their premium products. In the second quarter of 2024, shipments of Windows PCs priced above $800 increased by 9% month-on-month, while shipments of AI PCs in these price segments increased by as much as 126%.

The rise of AI PCs is not accidental. As artificial intelligence technology continues to develop, people are increasingly demanding devices that can handle AI tasks more efficiently. With their specialized chipsets or modules, AI PCs can provide better performance in image recognition, voice processing, natural language processing, etc., bringing users a smarter and more convenient experience. For example, users can complete various operations through voice commands, or use AI functions for more efficient office and creation.

From the perspective of market trends, the development prospects of AI PCs are very broad. On the one hand, processor suppliers and OEM manufacturers will continue to increase their investment in the field of AI PCs, launch more products with powerful AI functions, and cover a wider price range to meet the needs of different consumers. On the other hand, with the continuous expansion of first- and third-party applications, the scope of applications using NPU will continue to expand, and the advantages of AI PCs in performance and efficiency will become more obvious. This will further enhance the value positioning of AI PCs and attract more users to choose.

However, the development of the AI ​​PC market also faces some challenges. For example, the continuous upgrading of AI technology requires manufacturers to continue to invest in research and development to maintain the competitiveness of their products; at the same time, consumers' awareness and acceptance of AI PCs also need to be further improved, which requires manufacturers to make more efforts in market promotion and education.

Overall, the data that the global AI PC accounted for 14% in the second quarter of 2024 shows the huge potential and good development trend of the AI ​​PC market. In the future, with the advancement of technology and the maturity of the market, AI PC is expected to become the mainstream of the personal computer market, bringing more changes and convenience to people's work and life. We also look forward to major manufacturers to continue to innovate in the field of AI PC, launch more amazing products, and promote the continuous development of the entire industry.