2025 Will See AI PCs become the New Normal, but ARM-Based PCs Will Not Grow Out of Its Minority Segment

ABI Research's 5^th annual Trend Report identifies the 2 key 5G Devices, Smartphones, and Wearables trends that will come to fruition —and the 2 that won't—in 2025

NEW YORK, Dec. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As 2025 kicks off, predictions abound on the technology innovations expected in the year ahead. In its new whitepaper, 101 Technology Trends That Will—and Won't—Shape 2025, analysts from global technology intelligence firm ABI Research. ABI Research analysts identify 54 trends that will shape the technology market and 47 others that, although attracting vast amounts of speculation and commentary, are less likely to move the needle over the next twelve months. In the 5G Devices, Smartphones, and Wearables space, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled Personal Computers (PCs) will become the new normal, but ARM-Based PCs will remain a minority segment.

"2024 has been marked by challenges, from global conflicts and inflationary pressures to political uncertainty. These factors have strained enterprise and consumer spending, leading to market inertia, short-term technology investments, sidelined capital, and the exposure of vulnerable suppliers," says Stuart Carlaw, Chief Research Officer at ABI Research. "From a technology perspective, many industries and end markets are in that awkward stage of technology adoption where they are formulating implementation strategies, assessing solutions and partners, and trying to see if they have the resources needed to roll out solutions at scale. This is a particularly sensitive time, which tends to suggest 2025 will have tech implementers and end users on the brink of a period of a massive technology shift as they work through these issues."

What Will Happen in 2025:

AI PCs will become the new normal in 2025, moving from premium to standard market feature 
The year 2025 will mark the one when AI-enabled PCs transition quickly from a "nice to have" feature to one of necessity, capturing approximately 60% of total PC shipments according to ABI Research forecasts. This dramatic shift will be driven by the convergence of several key factors: the proliferation of Neural Processing Units (NPUs) across different price tiers, the mainstream adoption of Large Language Models (LLMs) for everyday computing tasks, and the strategic launch of Microsoft's Windows 12 in 2H 2025. Microsoft's new Operating System (OS), optimized for AI workloads and deeper Copilot integration, will trigger a significant enterprise replacement cycle. The compelling proposition of AI PCs will be strengthened further by their superior power efficiency during AI workloads, offering extended battery life, while running increasingly sophisticated on-device AI applications.

What Won't Happen in 2025:

Arm-based PCs will not be more than a minority segment in 2025
ABI Research forecasts that Arm-based PCs will represent only 13% of total PC shipments in 2025, despite this being a pivotal year for Arm's PC market expansion. While Qualcomm's latest PC processors offer enhanced performance and AI capabilities, its market impact depends heavily on resolving ongoing Arm licensing disputes. x86 incumbents Intel and AMD will continue to rule the mass market and will maintain their significant advantage in software compatibility.

For more trends that will and won't happen in 2025, download the whitepaper, 101 Technology Trends That Will—and Won't—Shape 2025.

About ABI Research

ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology solution providers and end-market companies. We serve as the bridge that seamlessly connects these two segments by providing exclusive research and expert guidance to drive successful technology implementations and deliver strategies proven to attract and retain customers.

ABI Research是一家全球性的技术情报公司，拥有得天独厚的优势，充当终端市场公司和技术解决方案提供商之间的桥梁，通过提供独家研究和专业性指导，推动成功的技术实施和提供经证明可吸引和留住客户的战略，无缝连接这两大主体。

For more information about ABI Research's services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.

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