HP: AI Will Transform PC Market Like the Internet Did

HP IMAGINE 2023 — Artificial intelligence (AI) will trigger the most dramatic transformation in the PC market since the emergence of the internet, according to HP.

HP showcased more than 20 yet-to-be released devices and services at its Palo Alto, California, headquarters on Thursday. (Channel Futures is there.) AI was front and center in several of the PC, print and workforce solutions.

“What is really exciting is how AI is going to transform the PC category,” said HP CEO Enrique Lores (pictured above). “AI’s going to create a new set of PCs that are going to deliver totally new experiences for our customers.”

HP’s president of personal systems, Alex Cho, went so far as to compare the impact of AI on PCs with the emergence of the internet 25 years ago.

HP’s Alex Cho

“It’s clear we are on the cusp of something very significant. In many ways, I call this a 1999 moment. Remember that the internet drove dramatic new experiences for people around the world? And it changed what we needed from our PCs. It’s going to happen again. AI is going to dramatically change what people can do and the devices and the computing behind it.”

Cho said AI would make the PC more personal. He said local inferencing means data is kept secure, it’s processed faster, and enables a higher level of personalization.

“It will be like having a personal companion. Imagine if you had a device that was able to provide you personalized, bulleted meeting summaries, tailored just for you based on your own email, contacts and presentations. Because it’s able to identify what’s important for you.”

AI Driving Changes In PC Market

Lores said customers will be able to experience the benefits of cloud-based AI on their PCs and clients within the next 12 months. This will drive three fundamental changes for customers.

First, he said, customers will be able to get access to AI at a much lower cost.

“Our estimate is the cost per transaction will be up to 80% cheaper. And this is very important, not only for our end users [and] customers, but for all the big software developers, for all the big ISVs. Because they will be able to offer those experiences to their customers at a much lower cost.”

Lores also said this will enable access to AI in a faster way, with reduced latency, which is important for many critical applications and gaming. Last, Lores maintained there will be improved data and privacy protection.

“You will be able to use your data to process large language models without having to upload the data to the cloud in a much simpler way,” he said.

Other HP AI Solutions Showcased

Other solutions unveiled by HP include a new AI workstation platform, powered by Z by HP AI Studio. Available next year, it is designed to help data scientists and AI practitioners accelerate and scale AI model development.

Cho said the current data science stack is one of the fastest growing elements of HP’s portfolio.

“Customers are trying to figure out how to take these foundation models and customize and tailor them for their own needs,” he said.

The new version has been developed specifically for large language models. Cho said it would be an incremental opportunity for partners.

“That market is growing. It’s going to continue to grow and [customers are] going to be looking for a full solution stack that HP offers through our partners,” he said.

Elsewhere, the vendor announced upcoming availability of free and premium versions of HP Workforce Central. A single dashboard, it allows users to gain essential insights on HP gear. Customers can anticipate disruptions and automatically remediate issues a new AI-enhanced Proactive Insights tool.

All of the products showcased at HP Imagine are set to go to market in the coming quarter.