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These types of PCs represented 14pc of all PC sales last quarter, double the market share they had in the first quarter of the year as the AI craze continues.
Global PC sales are seeing a change, as AI-capable PCs managed to gain a significant foothold in the market.
That’s according to a new report from Canalys, which found that 8.8m AI-capable PCs were sold in the second quarter of 2024, 14pc of all PCs shipped that quarter. The report defines AI-capable PCs as desktops and notebooks that “include a chipset or block for dedicated AI workloads, such as an NPU”.
This shows a major increase in a short timeframe – AI-capable PCs made up 7pc of total sales in the first quarter of 2024. The Canalys report predicts that there will be a significant ramp-up in sales for these PC types.
“With a strong foundation now set, AI-capable PC shipments are poised to gain further traction in the second half of 2024,” said Canalys principle analyst Ishan Dutt. “Processor vendors and OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] are set to target a wider base of customers through new product category availability across more price points. Meanwhile, channel partners are signalling a preference for AI-related features in PCs.”
Roughly 60pc of the AI-capable PCs sold in the last quarter were Apple MacOS devices, while nearly 40pc were Windows PCs. Microsoft recently released its range of Copilot+ PCs.
“While shipment volumes in the quarter were relatively small due to the limited weeks and geographical coverage of availability, the broad commitment of Windows OEMs to adopt these products into their portfolios bodes well for the category’s outlook,” Dutt said.
Dutt added that Intel increased the delivery of its Core Ultra chipsets during the last quarter and AMD announced its Ryzen AI 300 series of notebook processors.
The report comes amid a comeback for PC sales worldwide, after the market hit record low levels in recent years. PC sales shrunk by nearly 29pc in the first quarter of 2023 – described by some as the “lowest point” in PC history.
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