Personal computer (PC) manufacturers are relying on integrations of artificial intelligence (AI) to boost sales.
A view from the CES 2024 event. Image credit: Consumer Technology Association
This way, companies are aiming to entice consumers into upgrading from pandemic-era laptops or even older devices to something made more recently.
Companies like Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Intel are incorporating “neural processing units” (NPUs) in their latest chip designs, aiming to attract customers to invest in higher-end laptops. The integration of advanced AI capabilities is seen as a strategy to compete with Apple and gain a larger market share.
Chip manufacturers integrated NPUs because they offer high AI performance with relatively modest power consumption. While there are currently limited applications fully utilizing these capabilities, more are anticipated, experts say.
Adobe’s creative software suite is one of the few applications taking advantage of these chips.
At CES 2024, Intel organized an “open house” where PC vendors like Dell and Lenovo showcased their latest laptops, featuring demonstrations highlighting the new capabilities.
A Dell laptop presented at the event introduced an AI key, marking Microsoft’s first addition of a Windows keyboard button in decades. The “Copilot” key activates Microsoft’s generative AI software, providing assistance with applications and answering complex questions. Despite the current reliance on a cloud-based Copilot, Dell emphasizes the potential for enhanced speed, lower latency, and increased capabilities by incorporating these engines directly into PCs.
Transferring Copilot to personal computers will demand significantly more powerful machines than presently available, even with advanced AI chips. Currently, these new chips are integrated into pricier laptops offered by PC manufacturers collaborating with Intel and AMD.
PCs featuring advanced AI chips are expected to fall within the price range of $800 to $1,200.
Written by Alius Noreika