Posted on 09/19/2025 7:43:41 PM PDT by fireman15
AI PCs are equipped with powerful processors and AI accelerators designed to increase productivity and creativity. With our round-up of the latest news, learn how AI PCs are poised to shape the future of computing.
Virtually every aspect of technology has been affected, and potentially improved, by artificial intelligence (AI). PCs are no exception. While the meaning of “AI PC” is still evolving, it generally refers to a computer specifically designed to excel at AI-powered tasks. These beefed-up computers typically feature:
High-end CPUs and GPUs to handle the demanding computational requirements of AI applications such as AI assistants that automate tasks, schedule meetings, answer emails, and provide personalized recommendations and data analysis and visualization.
Dedicated AI accelerators like Neural Processing Units (NPUs). These specialized chips are optimized for AI tasks such as machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing.
Pre-installed AI-powered software such as AI assistants (like Microsoft Copilot), creative tools, and AI-enhanced productivity applications.
Will AI PCs play a big role in 2025 and beyond? As AI becomes more integrated into daily use, the demand for powerful computers capable of handling AI workloads will grow and provide new levels of productivity by automating tasks, generating creative content, and providing intelligent assistance. AI PCs are also designed to improve the user experience with AI-powered features like voice assistants, intelligent search, and personalized recommendations to enhance the overall user experience.
(Excerpt) Read more at computerworld.com ...
In the next part of the article that I was not able to fit into the excerpt it says...
According to Gartner data released in August, AI PCs will account for 31% of worldwide PC market by the end of the year. The research firm also shared these forecasts:
— AI PCs will be become the Norm by 2029 — AI PC shipments will total 77 million in 2025 — AI PCs market share will climb to 55% in 2026
After that there are descriptions and links to other articles. Starting with:
Related AI PC coverage:
AI PCs to surge, claiming over half the market by 2026 August 28, 2025: Despite some market hurdles, AI PC adoption is taking hold, with about 143 million units expected to ship next year. according to Gartner research.
IT buyers are investing in AI PCs — with no clue how to use them July 24, 2025: Eyeing the upcoming end of support for Windows 10 in October, many IT buyers are snapping up Windows 11 AI PCs despite having no clear understanding of how to use them in their infrastructures. “The use cases around AI PCs are not fully fleshed out just yet,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager at IDC. “Companies are struggling to figure out if AI PCs are worth the extra investment or not, especially when there’s a lot of AI that can be done in the cloud, as opposed to on the device itself.”
Linux AI PCs?
Get a computer soon if you want to avoid AI.
I was just going to ping the leaders of the Windows and Linux groups
Just like most people who are constantly looking into computers and possible upgrades... I am confused about what benefit the latest generations of CPUs, GPUs and APUs will actually be for me. There ae people here who have greater insight into this than I do. Hopefully a few of them will contribute.
Here is what Grok says about Linux on the latest generation AI enhanced processors:
“Can Linux take advantage of the latest AI enhanced processors and computers?
“Yes, Linux can take advantage of the latest AI-enhanced processors and computers, as it supports a wide range of hardware architectures and has robust software ecosystems for AI workloads. Here’s a concise breakdown:
### Hardware Support
- **AI-Enhanced Processors**: Linux supports modern AI-optimized hardware like Intel’s Xeon with AMX (Advanced Matrix Extensions), AMD’s Ryzen AI and EPYC with NPUs (Neural Processing Units), NVIDIA GPUs (CUDA/ROCm), and specialized AI accelerators (e.g., Google TPUs, Intel Gaudi, Graphcore IPUs).
- **Driver Availability**: Open-source drivers and proprietary frameworks (e.g., NVIDIA CUDA, AMD ROCm) are well-integrated into Linux distributions, enabling efficient use of AI hardware for tasks like matrix multiplication and neural network inference.
- **NPUs and TPUs**: Linux supports NPUs and TPUs through frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and ONNX, with kernel-level optimizations for accelerators in distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora, or specialized AI distros.
### Software Ecosystem
- **AI Frameworks**: Linux is the primary platform for AI development, supporting TensorFlow, PyTorch, JAX, and others, which are optimized for AI hardware via libraries like cuDNN, oneAPI, or OpenVINO.
- **Kernel Optimizations**: The Linux kernel includes features like heterogeneous computing support (e.g., for CPUs, GPUs, NPUs) and scheduling enhancements for AI workloads, such as improved power management for AI chips.
- **Community and Tools**: Linux’s open-source community actively develops tools like OpenCL, Vulkan, and ROCm for AI acceleration, ensuring compatibility with cutting-edge processors.
### Practical Examples
- **NVIDIA GPUs**: Widely used in Linux for AI training/inference with CUDA and cuDNN, supported by major distros.
- **Intel AMX**: Linux kernels (5.16+) support AMX for AI workloads, used in data centers and edge devices.
- **AMD NPUs**: ROCm on Linux enables AI acceleration on AMD’s Instinct accelerators and Ryzen AI chips.
- **Edge AI**: Linux powers AI on edge devices (e.g., Raspberry Pi with Coral TPUs) with lightweight distros and frameworks.
### Limitations
- **Driver Maturity**: Some newer AI chips (e.g., AMD NPUs) may have less mature Linux support compared to NVIDIA’s ecosystem.
- **Proprietary Software**: Certain AI hardware relies on proprietary drivers, which may lag in Linux support or require manual setup.
- **Configuration Complexity**: Optimizing Linux for specific AI hardware may require kernel tuning or custom builds, which can be complex for beginners.
### Conclusion
Linux is well-positioned to leverage AI-enhanced processors due to its flexibility, open-source nature, and strong AI software ecosystem. For optimal performance, users should choose a distro with good hardware support (e.g., Ubuntu, CentOS) and ensure drivers/frameworks are updated. If you’re targeting specific AI hardware, I can search for the latest driver compatibility or provide setup guidance—let me know!”
Misleading article...I really doubt that that more than 0.01% of PC/Mac users are running & using LLM’s (”AI”) locally on their home PC...when using MS Co-pilot, OpenAI, Grock, etc. you are using the “cloud” version on their HW/servers.
No such thing as an “AI PC”...just PC’s with loads of RAM and high power GPU’s. (Like a “Gamer” PC).
If interested in running “language models” (”AI”) locally it can be done using lower power home computers by using smaller language models.
YT video on running smaller language models on Macs:
https://youtu.be/bpIjlMJJ0I0?si=_HubaayyuXjX_Ul3
(Reminds me of the days when they were promoting new “Digital TV” antennas to get you to buy a new TV antenna! DTV rides on an analog carrier...your old antenna/rabbit ears are fine!)
I believe that some of Intel's difficulties have to do with the investment that they made in AI enhanced chips before anyone actually demonstrated killer apps to the public that justifies the added expense. Most people I know are still shopping for the best bang for the buck when looking for a new computer. The latest processors are mostly advertising as having enhanced AI abilities but the fact that they are AI enhanced seems to be less important to buyers than the benchmarks that indicate how powerful the computers actually are.
AI is not creative.
All you get is what the original programmer
did and what data bases are available.
I have a BS in Computer science and I
can create AI machines/engines.
I’m also an electronics engineer
as well as technician.
My point is this;
AI cannot deal with the un-expected
or random nature of our lives.
It is algorithmic, it cannot handle
random events like an intelligent person can.
So we replace all our lower intelligence
people with AI,
so what do we do with them?
They need to eat, drink and survive in
a society that can no longer use them.
Ask your AI that question!
I agree, the claims about AI computers share of the market is misleading. The amount of hype over AI is mostly just that. People will buy the latest processors because of their processing power despite the AI claims not because of them.
The only killer app, I think, that would really make use of AI is educational system. Assuming they can do it correctly, without too much automation, having a constant feedback where you can input your understanding and get corrected until you master a subject would be really helpful. One could probably finish grade 12 in 8 years or so that way.
I have been fooling around with all sorts of AI apps and find them to be a lot of fun and an enhancement to creativity and also productivity.
Despite the usefulness of the many AI websites that I frequent... I am not convinced that AI currently has the capabilities that most people seem to believe. And I am not convinced that consumers need an AI enhanced computer at this time to use with the current batch of AI tools that the public is using the most.
Thank you for participating... my hope was that very knowledgeable people such as yourself would contribute to the discussion
Yep, and the CPU is the least contributing factor in “AI” computing...the GPU is the biggest factor in AI/LLM processing speed...and LLM’s required large amounts of RAM.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/07/run_openai_gpt_oss_locally/
https://techtactician.com/llm-gpu-vram-requirements-explained/
The new “M” ARM processor series Macs are “system-on-a-chip” design...GPU cores and integrated CPU & GPU RAM on the same chip...which makes them goood at AI/LLM’s. In the PC world you need lots of RAM on the GPU card and lots of separate RAM on the MB for the processor.
I spend a lot of time working with Grok, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, AI assisted image and video creation and editing websites, and AI music generating websites. These are amazing websites. And you are correct that I learn a lot from the AI Chat sites especially. They have replaced YouTube how to videos for a lot of purposes. They can also write scripts to help configure servers and web pages. But you do not need an AI enhanced processor or computer to use any of these resources.
To me this is not a debate about the usefulness of AI. It can be very useful. Although at other times it can be a hindrance. The question is whether the AI enhancements to processors and PCs is a valuable addition to their capabilities currently.
Yes, when I refer to processors it is meant to be a general term which includes, GPUs, APUs, and CPUs. Nvidia has likely made the most contributions and has been reaping the rewards.
My skepticism is about the current batch of processors meant for the consumer market. I think that at this point it is all mostly hype.
Thank you so much for your input... I am one of the lesser knowledgeable persons about much of this.
"I'm sorry, Dave. I can't let you do that."
We put them to work in jobs the illegals are doing now.
while this is all mostly true, it sounds like a 3rd grade student pulling random quotes from websites for some kind of assignment.
there is no understanding, besides because AI is the new buzz word and everything now has to be AI. Obviously the marketing people don’t care to understand either as long as it sounds good.
just cause you processor or graphics card can run ai algorithms does not mean that they are automatically ai.
remember a few years ago “fuzzy logic” was the buzz word ?
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