PCs are set to be the main driver of growth in the AI edge processor market over the next four years, according to the latest research from Omdia. The 2023 edition of the AI Processors for the Edge Forecast by Omdia covers the market for artificial intelligence processors across various device types, including smartphones, PCs, tablets, smart speakers, robots, and UAVs. The total market for AI processors at the edge is projected to grow from $31 billion in 2022 to $60 billion in 2028, representing a CAGR of 11%.
One key factor driving the growing importance of PCs in this market is the availability of products. Intel’s Meteor Lake CPUs, AMD’s Ryzen processors, Apple’s M-series, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Elite X are all contributing to the increasing significance of PCs in the AI edge processor market. Additionally, the expected rebound of the PC market following a slowdown after the COVID-19 pandemic surge in 2020 and 2021 is also playing a role. The report suggests that the machines sold during the surge will soon approach the end of their accounting lives, leading to a potential refresh cycle that could aid in AI PC adoption.
According to Alexander Harrowell, Omdia’s Principal Analyst for Advanced Computing, demand from smartphones, which have been early adopters of AI technology, is expected to slow. This is due to market saturation, with over two-thirds of smartphones now having some form of AI acceleration, leading to growth being concentrated in the premium price tier.
The forecast from Omdia splits the market by processor types, such as in-CPU accelerators, AI-ASICs, AI-ASSPs, GPUs, and FPGAs, across the 10 device classes. The report discusses how systems-on-chips introduced in 2018-2019 with basic acceleration are now beginning to be replaced by more powerful ones, resulting in growth in the top performance tiers. The bulk of this growth is expected to come from proprietary AI-ASSPs such as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon and Mediatek’s APU.
In terms of market share, AI-ASSPs are projected to increase from 19% to 28%, largely at the expense of GPUs. Harrowell also noted that PCs are starting to resemble smartphones or tablets as they adopt the CPU-GPU-NPU architecture familiar from modern smartphones, while in-CPU acceleration has been slower to take off than expected.
The full details and analysis of the AI Processors for Edge Forecast Report – 2023 can be found in Omdia’s report, along with the AI Processors for Edge Forecast Report – 2023 Database (subscription required).
Omdia, part of Informa Tech, is a leading technology research and advisory group with deep knowledge of tech markets and actionable insights that empower organizations to make informed growth decisions. For more information, please visit the source link below.
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