AI has moved on from research and experimentation to become a key operational priority for the enterprise. Accelerating AI-driven innovation and applications was named as the number one business initiative for CIOs and IT leaders in Foundry’s 2026 State of the CIO report. While cloud-based AI services remain the focus, many organisations are looking to consolidate AI within their business through an investment in AI PCs. That is expected to account for over half of global PC sales by 2028, according to Gartner.
Yet with persistent component shortages and average PC prices rising, CIOs are under pressure to optimise their spend and ensure investments drive real business value. By partnering with a strategic technology partner, such as HP, enterprises can make AI PCs the cornerstone of future IT transformation.
Working with the right partner at the start of the PC refresh process can help organisations assess user groups, understand workload requirements and match employees to the right AI PC experiences. The right partner can identify high-value user groups that are AI-ready and prioritise the deployment of new AI PCs to them.
On the one hand, this speeds the way towards early wins, helping firms to establish the benefits of AI and develop an effective AI playbook. On the other, it guards against over-investment by matching the most capable AI PCs to those teams and users who will see the most impact in the shortest timeframe. This targeted approach reduces wasted spend and accelerates the path to ROI.
Working with a partner with HP’s scale and supply chain expertise enables rapid, scalable and predictable rollouts across global deployments, with supply continuity and consistent hardware moving forward. With onboarding and device customisation in place before each PC ships, users can be up and running within minutes of receiving their device. What’s more, a strategic partner can combine device deployment with workforce readiness, adoption services and change management so employees can quickly begin utilising new AI capabilities.
This isn’t just about short-term gains. Through device lifecycle services, refurbishment and asset recovery programmes, partners like HP make it easier for organisations to maximise the value of their AI PC investments in the long term. With a clear vision of the product roadmap, businesses can plan new waves of PC refresh strategically. They can plan ahead for future needs and avoid costly business disruptions and deployment delays.
Cutting costs, accelerating progress
Standardising around one or two vendors and adopting modern device management practices, enterprises can secure and support a hybrid workforce and reduce the overhead of managing their PC fleet. This approach can also help extend device lifecycles, so that PCs originally purchased for power users can be refurbished and re-used within the enterprise in roles where they can still deliver business value. Such circular economies don’t just reduce e-waste and support sustainability; they can help enterprises control their IT budgets.
Crucially, a managed rollout of AI PCs can help enterprises control their AI spend. Many are now getting to grips with the costs of cloud-based AI and its economic sustainability as token consumption and usage costs rise. Gartner’s recent Strategic Roadmap for Agentic AI PCs notes that this is “driving greater interest in a hybrid strategy, by identifying workloads that can be processed more efficiently at the edge or on the device itself.”
As more organizations adopt small language models and domain-specific models, AI PCs can power AI personal assistants and more focused AI applications. Gartner believes that, by 2029, 30% of enterprises will be using AI PCs to reduce their cloud AI token costs, while by 2030, 70% of the corporate PC installed base will be capable of running some local genAI workloads.
Running more workloads locally, at the edge, supports a more predictable AI cost model, while optimising use of cloud-based AI resources for tasks that actually require them. Using on board compute resources and working with locally stored data can drive more responsive AI experiences for workers. What’s more, this aids enterprises looking to move forward on AI and data sovereignty, particularly in industries where compliance and governance requirements make cloud-based AI services more problematic. Running sensitive workloads locally keeps data secure and the enterprise in full control.
With the right partner, an AI PC refresh becomes more than a device upgrade. It becomes a foundation for workforce productivity, AI adoption, cost optimisation and long-term business transformation. It turns potential gains into measurable business impact. To find out more about developing a strategic partnership with HP, visit https://www.hp.com/us-en/services/workforce-solutions.html.