According to the Financial APP, data released by Canalys shows that in the third quarter of 2024, the global AI PC shipment reached 13.3 million units, accounting for 20% of the total PC shipment this quarter. AI PC refers to desktops and laptops equipped with dedicated chips or modules for AI workloads, such as NPU. With an increase in the supply of such devices, AI PC saw a consecutive growth of 49%. Windows devices for the first time accounted for a majority share of AI feature PCs shipments, reaching a market share of 53%. Despite Windows 11 update cycles and processor roadmaps continuing to drive the adoption of AI PCs, a key challenge in the future will be persuading customers to prepare proactively for the upcoming edge AI applications.

Canalys Chief Analyst Ishan Dutt stated that the third quarter maintained a strong pace in the development roadmap of AI PCs. Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon X series chips welcomed their first complete supply quarter, while AMD also introduced the Ryzen AI 300 series products, and intel officially launched its Lunar Lake series. However, the two x86 chip manufacturers are still waiting for microsoft to provide support for their products with Copilot+ PCs, which is expected to be launched this month.

"Despite the strong momentum, there is still significant room to convince channel partners and end customers of the advantages of AI PCs. Especially for higher-end products, such as Copilot+ PCs, microsoft requires these devices to have at least 40 TOPS of NPU performance and other hardware specifications." Canalys' November channel partner survey showed that 31% of partners do not plan to sell Copilot+ PCs in 2025, with an additional 34% expecting these devices to account for no more than 10% of their PC sales next year. As Windows 10 services are nearing their end, the next few quarters will be key opportunities to drive the upgrade of a large number of old devices to AI PCs.

Manufacturer and Operating System Highlights

Windows AI PC shipments continued to grow by 93%, accounting for 12% of the total Windows PC shipments in the third quarter.

Canalys analyst Kieren Jessop stated that currently, the proportion of AI PC shipments from major Windows manufacturers in their overall shipments is not prominent. The key factor for their future success in this field will depend on differentiation beyond hardware.

At the 'Imagine AI' event held by hp inc in September, the emphasis was on collaboration with ISVs and third-party developers to provide edge AI experiences. Meanwhile, lenovo's recent focus has been embedding proprietary AI tools and agents in their PCs, such as the Creator Zone, Learning Zone, and lenovo AI Now. For manufacturers like lenovo and dell, their products are not limited to PCs only, and edge AI will become an essential component in providing a wider and more comprehensive range of AI services and solutions.

Jessop continued: "Apple's global strategy is unique. Apple leverages its vertically integrated ecosystem to create functionalities that do not compete with Microsoft's productivity tool suite, such as macOS compatible with Microsoft 365 Copilot Pro. Apple can focus on differentiation at the hardware and operating system levels to compete with Windows OEM in the current upgrade cycle and increase its market share."