Eric Lee: The PC AI market has strong growth potential.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way people work, from content creation and programming to process optimization. AI laptops – equipped with AI processing chips (NPUs) – help accelerate AI tasks, improve battery performance, and support AI applications directly on the device.

In Vietnam, the AI PC market is still new but is projected to grow strongly in 2025. A reporter from VTC News interviewed Eric Lee, Director of ASUS's Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos) region, to clarify this issue.

Mr. Eric Lee, Regional Director for Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos) of ASUS.

- What is your assessment of the laptop market in Vietnam?

The laptop market in Vietnam has experienced significant fluctuations in recent years. In 2021, with the explosion of remote work trends, the market witnessed a dramatic growth of up to 142% compared to 2020, but this occurred amidst limited supply. This resulted in actual demand far exceeding available stock.

Entering 2022-2023, the market faced another challenge: oversupply, as many products using previous generation CPUs remained in inventory, while technological innovations during that period were not attractive enough to stimulate demand for device upgrades.

By 2024, we see a clear shift as inventory levels balance out and consumers show increasing interest in laptops equipped with next-generation CPUs. This is a significant sign, especially as the industry moves toward its next major leap: AI PCs.

The CPU plays a core role in determining overall performance, not only for the present but also for future needs. Although the CPU only accounts for about 20-30% of the total cost of a laptop, it is a crucial factor in determining overall performance. Choosing an older generation CPU may only reduce the laptop's price by about 10%, but it can significantly impact the user experience, limit performance, and compromise compatibility with future AI technologies.

Consumers choosing laptops aren't just looking for a device to suit their current needs; they also want one that will last for years to come. Therefore, investing in advanced hardware now is crucial to ensuring long-term performance and maximizing the potential of AI in the future.

The market for AI laptops and AI PCs in Vietnam has strong growth potential.

- What is your assessment of the current potential of the AI PC market in Vietnam?

The AI PC market in Vietnam is still in its early stages but has strong growth potential. In 2024, ASUS was the brand to introduce the first Copilot+ PC in Vietnam. Since then, our AI laptop product line has expanded to more than six models meeting the Copilot+ PC standard (Copilot+ PC is a line of AI laptops with a powerful integrated NPU, which accelerates AI tasks directly on the machine, optimizes battery life, performance, and security).

Currently, Copilot+ PCs only account for about 1% of the total potential PC market in Vietnam. However, we expect stronger growth in the coming months, with more products at affordable price points. This could help increase market share to around 3-5% by the end of 2025.

The AI PC market has the potential to become a major trend in 2025.

Eric Lee, Director of ASUS Southeast Asia

Globally, Gartner's latest forecast shows that total AI PC shipments will increase by 165.5% in 2025 compared to 2024. Another forecast from IDC indicates that AI PCs will account for over 80% of the global market by the end of 2027. As the global market leads the trend, the Vietnamese market typically follows with a lag of about 1-2 years.

- What challenges did ASUS face when introducing and popularizing AI laptops and AI PCs to consumers?

Understanding AI PCs is crucial as AI continues to expand in the consumer electronics sector. Many users still view AI as a buzzword, creating challenges in recognizing the true benefits of AI PCs in general, and AI laptops in particular. It's essential for a tech company like ASUS to show consumers that the benefits of AI extend beyond just using AI applications, most of which are still in beta and require further development and refinement.

One of the most significant benefits of AI in laptops today is optimized battery performance. Thanks to AI processors that optimize power consumption among components based on the user's actual usage habits, AI laptops can significantly extend battery life and, at the same time, improve the overall lifespan of the laptop.

While Qualcomm's ARM chip architecture plays the most crucial role in achieving this battery life, AI also contributes by automatically optimizing background applications, making them more energy-efficient.

- Although consumers are not yet fully familiar with AI, businesses are already gearing up for digital transformation, aiming to use AI in their business and production operations. Will this help increase large orders for businesses?

In Vietnam, the application of AI laptops in business operations only began last year with the launch of the first Copilot+ PC in our commercial product portfolio in December 2024.

Currently, most businesses still prioritize more affordable laptop models. However, like any new technology, as demand increases and production costs decrease, we expect businesses, especially those in finance, IT, and creative industries, to soon adopt AI laptops to improve productivity and efficiency.

Currently, AI transformation in Vietnamese businesses is primarily focused on cloud services and AI integration services on AI server infrastructure. In 2024, ASUS partnered withFPT AI Factory to develop an advanced AI infrastructure system. Integrating the ASUS ESC N8-E11 server into FPT AI Factory helps handle complex computational workloads, marking a significant milestone in promoting AI innovation domestically and strengthening Vietnam's AI sovereignty.

The application of AI laptops and AI PCs helps to improve productivity and work efficiency.

- In your opinion, what will the laptop trends be like in the near future? Which technologies does ASUS predict will become the industry standard?

The integration of AI and ARM architecture is expected to continue to grow strongly and gradually become the mainstream trend.

In particular, AI-powered NPUs are very likely to become a standard feature across the industry. These AI-powered processors will enhance many aspects of the user experience, from optimizing power and making video calls smoother, to enabling smarter system operation.

In the future, we believe that AI-based optimizations will play an increasingly important role in daily computing, helping to improve workflows more intelligently, enhance security, and boost overall performance.

Thank you very much, sir!

Khanh Huyen

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/ong-eric-lee-thi-truong-ai-pc-co-tiem-nang-tang-truong-manh-me-ar934909.html