Digital Workspace

Four Ways Employees and SMBs Can Benefit From AI-Enabled PCs

Improved speed, security, battery life and more prepare your team for the modern era.

Steven Forsberg is a CDW expert.

There’s a growing awareness in the marketplace of artificial intelligence-enabled PCs, computers with chips such as the Intel Core Ultra processor that improve AI capabilities by integrating new neural processing units (NPUs) with traditional CPUs and graphics processing units (GPUs).

But not all business and AI leaders understand the benefits that these machines can bring to their end users. AI-enabled PCs can help users save time by dramatically improving productivity. Further, they can greatly enhance the overall quality of the experience on a PC.

AI is only going to grow over the next few years, at which point owning a laptop without an NPU might feel a bit like owning a mobile phone without a camera. Organizations that deploy AI-enabled PCs can expect their end users to see four important benefits.

Click the banner below to learn how to get ready for an AI-enabled device refresh.

ht-itoperations-animated-2024-uncover-desktop

ht-itoperations-animated-2024-uncover-mobile

1. AI Improves PC Battery Life

Much of the discussion about AI in the workplace has revolved around concerns that robots will take over human jobs. But many of the benefits of AI lie in its ability to make tasks easier and less time-consuming for human workers. One extremely simple but powerful illustration of this is the improved battery life of AI-enabled PCs.

By managing and modifying battery operations through deep learning and machine learning algorithms, AI-enabled PCs can help ensure optimal efficiency and longevity. As a result, users can be more productive on the go, without having to worry that they’ll run out of power to do their work.

2. AI-Enabled PCs Enhance Worker Collaboration

Video collaboration has become a cornerstone technology in most workplaces, thanks in part to the rise of remote and hybrid work that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. An AI-enabled PC can enhance the use of collaboration products such as Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex and Zoom by helping background video features perform more smoothly while decreasing CPU use and power consumption.

We’re also seeing greater use of AI for meeting transcription, summaries, action items and even meeting scheduling, which helps make the collaboration experience more meaningful and productive.

Click the banner below to read the 2025 CDW AI Research Report.

3. AI-Enabled PCs Are Faster

An AI-enabled PC can dramatically speed up processing-intensive workflows or even unlock new experiences. For example, a graphic designer for a small business is likely to see a major reduction in their rendering time, allowing them to complete work faster than they would otherwise be able to. This gives them time back to fine-tune their current projects or take on new ones.

4. AI Makes PCs More Secure

In addition to intelligently optimizing battery life, AI-enabled machines efficiently run security programs that previously would have taken up far too much CPU capacity to be effective. These tools can reduce the likelihood of data breaches, cut down on escalation tickets, and ultimately save money and give time back to IT departments.

Additionally, because AI-enabled PCs give users the option to engage with AI tools without sending their data to the cloud, they can add another layer of protection for organizations looking to safeguard confidential information.

KEEP READING: Five questions to ask before selecting an AI tool.

PeopleImages/Getty Images