Intel says it's shipped 'barely north' of 100 million AI PCs, which equates to roughly 4 'ZOPS', or 'Zetta OPS' of AI processing energy
This is a subject everyone knows and love: AI PCs. The typically nebulous time period refers primarily to PCs with devoted NPUs constructed to carry out native AI computing, which I do know we within the PC gaming neighborhood are all very enthusiastic about.
Ah, sufficient snark. It is definitely represented a significant change in the best way the tech trade promotes new programs, and because of NPUs cropping up in most of the newest chips, the variety of AI PCs has risen dramatically. Based on Intel fellow Tom Peterson, its figures are actually ‘barely north’ of 100 million.
“I do suppose that is the important query… you have acquired all these ZOPS on the market, are they helpful but? Initially, the floating level models inside PCs had been dormant for many years, after which sooner or later, they had been simply all the time there.
“And for me, the set off is Microsoft,” Petersen continued. “So as soon as Microsoft Copilot+ turns into extra helpful and extra ubiquitous, primarily based on the NPU and the GPU, that is considered one of these helpful choices.”
Intel has definitely taken the “construct it and they’ll come” method to NPUs, though because it stands in 2026, it is troublesome to see why your common person would purchase a PC primarily based on its native AI processing capabilities. Dell has lately stated that customers are ‘not shopping for primarily based on AI’, and I would say that 100 million+ AI PC determine is probably going extra reflective of Intel’s large chip market share, moderately than an enormous demand for shopper AI {hardware}.
Intel CPUs flip up in quite a lot of PCs, and PCs nonetheless promote in large numbers, AI be damned. Anyway, I will be going to mattress this night considering of ZOPS. I’ve by no means preferred the TOPS acronym, however stick a Z in entrance of it? Now we’re speaking.