When it comes to upgrading PCs, IT leaders are rethinking the value equation.
Today’s modern PCs are now viewed as strategic enablers of productivity, innovation, and security. As a result, CIOs and their teams are looking beyond cost, warranty, and basic specs when considering a fleet upgrade.
“We’re at an important inflection point right now when it comes to the PC,” says Craig Tellalian, director, field applications engineering for Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “There are a lot of headwinds around AI that will be disruptive in the short term. But the end result will be significantly better for businesses.”
To better understand how the upgrade conversation is changing, Foundry asked technology leaders and practitioners what features are most heavily influencing PC investment decisions. Their insights reveal a shift toward three powerful forces: AI integration, enhanced security, and future-ready performance.
AI-enabled PCs are driving strategic device decisions
AI is no longer an abstract concept or limited to cloud platforms. The arrival of next-generation AI PCs, featuring built-in AI capabilities, is reshaping how organizations evaluate and procure computing hardware.
“On-device AI capabilities are becoming a factor in PC procurement decisions, though many organizations haven’t fully grasped their transformative potential yet,” says Chris Selland, partner at TechCXO. “As privacy and security concerns about cloud-based AI services become more prominent, businesses are increasingly recognizing the advantages of processing sensitive data locally without sending it to external servers.”
The pivot to AI PCs is gaining traction across industries. IDC expects AI PCs to account for nearly 60% of global PC shipments by 2027.1
“AI-enabling features are more and more the deciding factor in effective PC upgrade practices, especially as organizations seek to increase productivity, collaboration, and security at scale,” says Vivek Singh, senior vice president of IT and strategic planning at PALNAR. “Along with hardware specs, we are prioritizing systems that provide seamless integration with modern AI-enabled workflows and hybrid workspaces.”
The combination of AI-driven productivity and evolving hybrid work models is redefining business workflows and decision-making, believes Arsalan Khan (@ArsalanAKhan), advisor and speaker. “This redefinition is leading businesses to consider the capabilities of their hardware to handle AI demands,” he says. “To upgrade PCs, businesses are looking for faster CPUs/GPUs, enhanced RAM, dedicated NPUs, built-in encryption, faster connectivity, and better service contracts.”
Kumar Srivastava, CTO at Turing Labs, predicts that generative AI (genAI) and large language models (LLMs) will soon be embedded directly into enterprise PCs, serving as another impetus to upgrade. “PC upgrades will be driven by the level and depth of integration of LLMs and genAI in the PC experience,” Srivastava says. “It will require local LLMs to be pre-integrated on the PC with sufficient RAM and compute to allow for the LLM to be always loaded.”
Even in small business environments, AI is becoming a key capability. “Upgrade decisions for PCs are driven by their ability to effectively utilize AI,” notes Scott Schober (@ScottBVS), president and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems. “The conversation is shifting from ‘Is this device still working?’ to ‘Can this device support what we’ll be doing a year from now?’”
Security is a frontline requirement
Alongside the rise of AI, security has become a pillar of PC upgrade strategies – especially in distributed and hybrid environments.
“Security remains the top driver for enterprise PC upgrades today, especially with the demands of hybrid work,” says Will Kelly, a writer focused on AI and the cloud. “Companies seek hardware-based protections like Secure Boot, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0, and enhanced endpoint encryption to reduce risk in increasingly distributed environments.”
Robert Siciliano, CEO of Safr.me, notes the inherent risk of aging PCs. “Legacy devices lack dynamic security, whereas new hardware often incorporates artificial intelligence capabilities,” he says. “Built-in, AI-driven encryption and advanced biometric authentication such as fingerprint readers and facial recognition, using tools like Windows Hello, provide crucial protection for sensitive business data.”
An increasingly mobile workforce also increases security risks, forcing IT teams to adapt. “Security features like fingerprint scanners and remote-wipe functions are now essential for protecting company data when employees work from coffee shops or home offices,” says Gene de Libero, principal at Digital Mindshare. “Companies are scrambling for new PCs as AI shifts from cloud to chip, letting them crunch sensitive data locally for instant results without privacy headaches.”
Schober adds that hardware-based security is no longer optional. “Many people are still working remotely or hybrid, so having hardware that supports things like biometric logins as well as enhanced encryption is not on a wish list, but a mandatory requirement.”
Performance as an employee experience driver
Underpinning both AI capability and security readiness is performance – both in terms of hardware specs and employee satisfaction. IT and business leaders should no longer be content to run devices until they break down. Instead, many are asking what PCs require to empower their workforce to be more productive, innovative, and digitally fluent.
“CIOs recognize that end-user computing functionality, performance, and form factors are the frontline to employee productivity and capability,” says Isaac Sacolick (@nyike), president of StarCIO. “A one-size-fits-all strategy and maintaining PC devices until they fall apart undermine the organization’s objectives around accelerating digital transformation, becoming data-driven, experimenting with AI, and improving employee experience.”
De Libero paints a similar picture of today’s workforce needs: “What we consider normal work now requires serious computing power: running video calls while screen sharing and managing multiple browser tabs simply overwhelms older machines, making upgraded processors a necessity rather than a nice-to-have.”
Schober also emphasizes the need for PCs that are ready for the future. “In the business of wireless and cybersecurity, we try to future-proof our investment, and AI is no longer a fringe consideration,” he says. “If the PC is only a few years old but it can’t effectively handle the demands of AI, we upgrade.”
It’s time to rethink the PC lifecycle
The message from today’s IT leaders is clear: PC upgrades are no longer reactive. They’re strategic, driven by a new set of imperatives, including AI readiness, embedded security, and user experience. For IT buyers, this means evaluating new devices not just on cost or age, but on how well they align with forward-looking business goals.
From integrated AI processors and biometric authentication to enterprise-grade encryption and remote manageability, the features shaping the next generation of PCs are already here. Forward-thinking IT leaders are acting now to equip their teams with devices that not only perform, but protect and evolve with their needs.
In today’s fast-moving digital world, the real question isn’t whether your devices still work. It’s whether they’re ready for what comes next.
Snapdragon branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.
1IDC, IDC Forecasts Artificial Intelligence PCs to Account for Nearly 60% of all PC Shipments by 2027, February 7, 2024, https://my.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS51851424