Around 77.8 million AI PCs will be Sold Worldwide This Year
By 2026, that number is expected to soar to 143 million, commanding a dominant 55% market share.
According to Gartner, sales of AI-enabled PCs—equipped with Neural Processing Units (NPUs) for on-device AI tasks—will reach 77.8 million units this year, representing 31% of worldwide PC shipments. By 2026, that number is expected to soar to 143 million, commanding a dominant 55% market share.
AI PCs promise faster performance, improved security, and enhanced productivity by running workloads locally rather than in the cloud. Laptops are leading adoption, projected to account for 35.7% of the laptop market in 2025, compared with 16.4% for desktops.
While tariffs and economic uncertainty are slowing near-term growth, experts say businesses and consumers will invest to prepare for AI’s deepening integration. A divide is also emerging between x86-based enterprise systems and ARM-powered consumer laptops, as software compatibility improves.
“AI PCs are reshaping the market, but their adoption in 2025 is slowing because of tariffs and pauses in PC buying caused by market uncertainty. Nevertheless, users will invest in AI PCs to ensure they are prepared for the growing integration of AI at the edge,” Ranjit Atwal, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, said.
By 2029, Gartner predicts AI PCs will become the standard, driving a software gold rush around Small Language Models (SLMs) that run locally on devices. Analysts say this shift marks the beginning of a new era in personal computing.
