Microsoft’s move to end Windows 10 support on 14 October 2025 has created an inflection point for CIOs. Three million PCs in active use in Australia can’t upgrade to Windows 11, according to Microsoft, which leaves many organisations facing security risk and a widening gap in frontline productivity.
Most corporate AI adoption so far has been cloud-led, but concerns about privacy, rising AI service costs and the movement of sensitive client data offshore are prompting a rethink. Local inferencing on modern hardware now offers a practical way to accelerate AI use without increasing exposure.
For enterprise IT leaders, the risk is not simply running out-of-support devices and the security risk that entails. The deeper issue is falling behind in the shift to AI-assisted work. If outdated hardware limits access to new capabilities in Windows 11, productivity losses accumulate quietly but consistently across frontline teams.
Why legacy approaches fall short
Relying solely on cloud AI services appears convenient, but it comes with constraints for regulated sectors. Sensitive information still travels outside the organisation, model performance depends on connectivity, and costs can climb quickly with usage.
A like-for-like hardware refresh—swapping out PCs to new minimum spec models that can run Windows 11—also offers little uplift. It won’t enable AI acceleration, intelligent automation, or the performance for larger applications that include local large language models (LLMs).
As organisations become more dependent on real-time summarisation, content creation, translation and threat detection, traditional processors will struggle to keep pace. These limitations make a hardware-based step change more compelling. Organisations are now looking for devices designed for AI workloads to avoid incremental fixes that will push cost and risk into later years.
How AI PCs address the problem
Modern AI PCs pair Windows 11 with AI-specific processors, including neural processing units (NPUs) capable of more than 40 trillion operations per second. They support local generation, summarisation and automation tasks without sending data to offshore services, reducing compliance exposure and cutting response times.
On-device AI helps streamline everyday work. Tasks such as meeting follow-ups, document clean-ups and content drafting can happen in the background, freeing staff to focus on higher-value decisions. These small increments add up when multiplied across thousands of employees.
AI PCs also support accessibility capabilities, such as real-time translation, on-device captioning and voice-driven interfaces, helping more employees engage effectively with digital tools.
Analyst firm Canalys forecasts that 60 per cent of PCs shipped in 2027 will be AI-capable, more than triple the volume shipped in 2024. This shift reflects a broader recognition that frontline productivity depends on pairing AI software with suitable hardware.
Lenovo’s approach to AI-driven computing
Lenovo’s Aura Edition Copilot+ AI PC portfolio, powered by Intel Core Ultra processors, is designed around this need for secure, local AI acceleration.
Silke Barlow, Lenovo’s Australian country manager, says the aim is to make AI immediately useful. “If a device can quietly draft documents, take notes and tidy data while the user focuses on making decisions that really take advantage of their skill set, that’s real productivity,” he explains.
These processors separate AI tasks from traditional system operations, improving responsiveness even when multiple applications are active. For creative and analytical teams, the hardware also supports faster rendering, predictive modelling and advanced editing tools.
Beyond the device itself, Lenovo positions AI PCs as part of a broader digital workplace strategy. Its Smart Care uses predictive analytics to anticipate hardware issues before they become outages, reducing support overhead and improving uptime. Lenovo Smart Modes adjusts system behaviour automatically as employees move between tasks, optimising performance without manual tuning.
For organisations scaling AI workflows, the Lenovo AI Digital Workplace Solution integrates device-level capabilities with broader collaboration, security and management tools, allowing IT teams to operationalise new ways of working more smoothly.
Barlow says Lenovo sees AI PCs as a foundation for long-term capability building. “Windows 11 and AI-optimised hardware are reshaping how people work. We’ve invested in a new ecosystem that helps organisations transition at a pace that strengthens security and productivity together.”
Making the upgrade decision
Past operating system transitions show that delaying replacements increases cost and complexity. Unsupported devices require more IT effort, are harder to secure and limit access to new features that drive workplace innovation.
A structured upgrade path helps. Many organisations begin by identifying devices that cannot move to Windows 11 and prioritising business units where AI-enabled automation can remove repeatable work. This reduces risk while improving margins and freeing teams to focus on more specialised tasks.
The end of Windows 10 support is prompting a broader reassessment of how PCs contribute to productivity, compliance and resilience. AI PCs extend beyond solving an immediate problem: they provide a platform for sustained improvement in how work gets done.
Planning your fleet refresh? Learn more about how Lenovo Aura Edition Copilot+ PCs offer personalised, productive, and protected AI with the latest Intel Core Ultra processors.
