AI conquers computers: this is how the new smart PCs promise to change our lives

The future of the PC lies in artificial intelligence. In early 2024, Microsoft announced the first change to its keyboards in almost 30 years: it decided to add a key to activate the Windows artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. This change was a harbinger of what was to come, in a panorama where AI is going to be increasingly integrated into computers; so much so that this technology is being the fundamental pillar of Computex 2024the most important computer fair in the world, which this week brings together 1,500 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees from all over the world in Taipei (Taiwan).

Technological giants such as AMD, Qualcomm, Intel, ASUS and Nvidia take advantage of this annual event to present their latest developments in computers. “Artificial intelligence is our number one priority and we are at the beginning of an incredibly exciting time for the industry,” said Lisa Su, president and CEO of AMD, in the keynote speech at Computex, held this Monday.

The future of computing is being cooked at this fair. This is stated by James CF Huang, president of the Taiwan Foreign Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the organization that has invited EL PAÍS to Computex: “Since our beginnings, in 1981, computing has evolved dramatically, starting with PCs and passing through the Internet, mobile phones, the cloud, the Internet of things and, now, AI.” Although computers with this technology are still in their early stages of development, their potential is enormous. So much so that Juan José Marcilla de Teruel-Moctezuma, commercial product manager at Lenovo Iberia, considers that “the transformation of new PCs with AI will be similar or greater than when we went from mobile phones, which only served to call and send SMS, to the smartphoneswhich have complete connectivity and applications.”

For now, the most notable changes have occurred in the area of ​​components, according to Germán Guerra, director of ASUS OP in Spain: “Preparing a computer for the use of AI implies guaranteeing greater power and processing capacity.” Computers with AI incorporate a processor with an additional computing engine. This is the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), designed to handle heavy and continuous AI workloads with low power consumption. Those neural engines in processors are becoming more powerful. AMD, for example, has stood out at Computex with the new AMD Ryzen AI 300which surpass those of the competition by reaching 50 billion operations per second.

Semiconductor fever, the new oil

To meet the growing demand for complete chip systems, companies like Intel are investing billions of euros in new factories. Walter Riviera, Intel’s AI technology leader in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, highlights that, currently, 80% of advanced semiconductors are manufactured in a single area of ​​the world: Asia. Something that, according to the expert, makes the supply chain more vulnerable to service interruptions.

To avoid possible disruptions, Intel plans to increase its investments in Europe and America. “Chips will play a central role in international relations in the coming decades. Just as oil reserves have defined geopolitics for the last five decades, the same will happen with semiconductors for the next five decades,” says Riviera.

The integration of AI into PCs brings great benefits, but also a possible increase in price. “It is evident that the price of the devices could increase, due to the cost of hardware development and production specialized, as well as the inclusion of software advanced,” explains an HP spokesperson. However, the company is confident that, in the long term, prices will decrease thanks to economies of scale and improvements in manufacturing processes.

Computers 100 times more efficient

A clear example of the sector’s clear commitment to AI is the presentation of a new category of equipment: the Copilot+ PC. They are computers with hardware specific to running AI workloads locally, instead of relying so much on the cloud as was usual until now. “The new Copilot+ PC devices with neural engines are up to 20 times more powerful and up to 100 times more efficient for running AI workloads,” explains Elena Pérez, head of Surface for Microsoft companies in Spain.

This company has worked with giants such as Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP or Lenovo to manufacture equipment with Copilot+. Generative AI offers advanced features on these computers, such as Recall —which records everything seen and done on the PC—, Cocreator —which allows you to generate and edit images with AI— and Live Captions —which translates audio from more than 40 languages ​​into subtitles. in English-.

“It is no longer about someone developing the softwaresomeone develops the operating system, someone develops the chips and someone develops the hardware. We need to understand what experience we want to provide and offer that experience together,” explained Pavan Davuluri, corporate vice president of Windows and Devices at Microsoft, at one of the Computex conferences.

Assistants who schedule meetings and answer emails

AI will revolutionize the way we use PCs at home and at work, according to the experts consulted. “Computers, which were once static and predictable machines, are now more intelligent, adaptable and versatile,” explains José Romero, customer solutions technologist for Spain and Portugal at Dell Technologies. He Index on Relationship with Work, prepared by HP, concludes that AI is seen as a crucial element for the future of work. In fact, 81% of Spanish business leaders believe it will make their work easier.

This technology will revolutionize productivity by automating repetitive tasks, offering advanced analysis and improving decision making, according to Romero: “Collaboration will be more fluid with AI-based virtual assistants, who will schedule meetings, respond to emails and manage administrative tasks.” AI also has the potential to detect threats and protect business data. The possibilities are endless. “We will see computers collaborating with humans in complex tasks, such as medical diagnosis or product design,” highlights Marcilla.

Screens that lock when walking away

The manufacturers promise in their presentations that all users will enjoy improvements in audiovisual editing, file management and their privacy on a daily basis. For example, Dennis Hsieh, director of ASUS SYS in Spain, highlights that AI can be used to lock the device when its owner is not in front of it. He already does the ASUS
Vivobook S 15, which has a function called Adaptive Lock to lock the laptop when the user leaves and unlock it when he returns.

In the home, computers will learn the preferences of each family member and adapt lighting, air conditioning and music according to their needs. This is indicated by Romero, who highlights that AI can also help users solve problems on their computers by offering technical support 24 hours a day: “It can diagnose problems and guide the user to solve them with virtual assistants that provide interactive tutorials and personalized recommendations.”

Riviera recalls that Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel, defined the PC as “the definitive Darwinian device.” [debido a su propensión a adaptarse, evolucionar y cambiar]. With AI we can have adaptability at the highest level. And this goes from PC design to user experiences,” he says. The future of computers, according to the Intel expert, will be strictly linked to the next emerging needs of people.

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