SEOUL — The global personal computer (PC) industry is undergoing a seismic shift, with the transition toward Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered laptops accelerating at a breakneck pace. Major hardware manufacturers are rapidly aggressively expanding their premium product lineups to capture a dominant share in this burgeoning market, signaling the dawn of a new era in personal computing.

According to the latest data from market research firm TrendForce, AI laptops are projected to account for 37.5% of the total laptop market this year, before surging past the halfway mark to 50.0% next year. This threshold will mark the official entry of AI laptops into the mainstream consumer market. The upward trajectory is expected to continue relentlessly, with TrendForce forecasting that AI laptops will command 66.7% of the market by 2028 and a staggering 84.9% by 2029, cementing their status as the industry standard.

This rapid adoption is igniting fierce competition among major architectural and operating system platforms. The traditional Windows x86 ecosystem, powered primarily by Intel and AMD processors, is expected to lead the charge. Its market share within the AI laptop segment is anticipated to rise from 14.5% this year to 50.7% by 2029. Meanwhile, Apple's Mac Arm architecture, which powers the MacBook lineup, is projected to maintain a steady footprint, moving slightly from 15.2% this year to 16.8% by 2029.

A critical wildcard in this shifting landscape is the "Windows on Arm" segment. Currently holding a modest 3.2% share, Windows Arm AI laptops are forecasted to climb to 11.5% by 2029. Industry analysts note that Nvidia’s newly unveiled "RTX Spark" processor—an advanced chip specifically engineered for AI PCs—is built on this Windows Arm architecture, serving as a powerful catalyst for the platform's growth.

Technically, AI laptops are defined by the integration of dedicated Neural Processing Units (NPUs), which allow devices to handle complex artificial intelligence calculations locally without relying on external cloud connections. By enabling "on-device AI," these next-generation laptops offer significantly enhanced data privacy, reduced latency, and the power to seamlessly execute "Agentic AI"—advanced systems capable of inferring user intent and autonomously performing multi-step tasks.

To capitalize on this technological leap, the world’s leading PC manufacturers are executing a major offensive by flooding the market with high-performance, premium AI laptop lineups.

Lenovo, the global market leader in PC shipments, is leading the charge with a dual-processor strategy, fronting the Qualcomm-powered "Yoga Slim 7x" alongside the Intel-powered "ThinkPad T14s Gen 6." HP has simultaneously introduced its ultra-premium "OmniBook Ultra" series, equipped with top-tier chipsets designed for demanding workloads.

Other heavyweights are following a similar elite trajectory. Dell is pushing its flagship "XPS 16," while ASUS is targeting power users with the sleek "ZenBook S16." Furthermore, both HP and Dell have announced strategic plans to launch new models powered by Nvidia's RTX Spark processor in the second half of this year, further diversifying their AI hardware portfolios.

This rapid transition comes despite macroeconomic headwinds facing the hardware sector. "Even with retail prices rising due to surging costs in the memory semiconductor market, the sheer demand for AI-driven device upgrades is fueling robust market growth," an industry insider commented. "With the entry of Nvidia’s new dedicated AI PC processors expanding consumer choice, the replacement cycle for AI laptops is bound to happen much faster than originally anticipated."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]