AI PCs surge to 50 per cent share of notebook sales through European distribution – CONTEXT

Analysts believe the rise is more about increased product availability and short-term price cuts than a sudden boom in consumer demand

AI-powered notebooks have hit a major milestone across Europe, accounting for 50 per cent of all notebook sales through European distribution.

That is according to figures from market intelligence firm CONTEXT, whose analysts believe this surge is more about increased product availability and short-term price cuts than a sudden boom in consumer demand.

“We have seen an 11-percentage point jump in just one week”, said Antonio Talia, chief analyst - business intelligence manager at CONTEXT.

“This dramatic week-on-week growth reflects a spike in the availability of AI-capable systems, rather than a fundamental shift in end-user demand.

“In the coming weeks, we’ll closely monitor whether this trend stabilises or proves to be a short-term response to increased supply and pricing incentives.”

Country-level sales trends through distribution show some interesting shifts.

Germany continues to lead the pack, according to CONTEXT’s figures, regaining ground this week, though still trailing its February peak.

The UK remains strong in second place with a 15 per cent market share, while Italy slipped slightly to nine per cent.

In contrast, the Netherlands and Switzerland were both nudged up by about one percentage point, now standing at nine per cent and eight per cent, respectively.

Belgium saw the biggest boost this week, climbing 2.5 percentage points to reach five per cent of the AI notebook market.

“Meanwhile, a more advanced type of AI laptop – those with high-performance chips built for intensive tasks – is also gaining momentum”, Talia added.

“Sales of these systems rose modestly to six per cent of the total notebook market, with business devices driving the increase. Sales of these business devices jumped 90 per cent in a single week, pushing this segment to its highest share since January.”

Intel had a standout week, with its processors now found in over half of all AI-capable notebooks sold.

The key factor driving Intel's growth has been its performance in the business devices segment, representing approximately 74 per cent of its total sales.