Computer manufacturer Lenovo to prioritise AI solution services
Lenovo, the world’s largest computer manufacturer by volume, has pledged to prioritise artificial intelligence solution services to maintain market leadership, company executives have announced.
The shift is being put down to a 42% increase in the non-PC sector revenue last year, indicating a potential demand for AI solutions amidst the global digital economy trend, which includes Thailand.
According to a recent interview with Matt Codrington, vice president and regional general manager of Lenovo Greater Asia Pacific last week, Thailand is one of the company’s most significant markets, with a growth cycle similar to the worldwide market. The country is the second-fastest growing market for digital transformation and the fourth in devices in the region.
In addition, its third quarter results of year 2023/24 which were reported in last February also revealed a 3% increase in revenue year on year of US$15 billion.
“Demand for our core product, personal computers (PCs), continues to grow; however, the non-PC sector is growing at a faster rate. These trends prompted the company to strengthen AI transformation solutions, particularly for businesses,” he said.
He and two other executives – Lenovo Thailand and Rest of Indochina general manager Woraphot Thavornwan, and general manager and Lenovo Greater Asia Pacific key account business leader Thaneth Angkasirisan – shared and discussed how the power of AI will drive intelligent transformation, as well as how Lenovo empowers customers and organisations’ success in Asia Pacific and Thailand by enabling and powering their intelligent transformation.
Codrington noted that to build on its success as the world’s largest PC company, Lenovo has expanded into growth areas that fuel the advancement of “New IT” technologies such as Edge, Cloud, Blockchain, AI and Intelligence in server, storage, mobile, software, solutions, and services.
Noting that each business in each country has its own pace of digital transformation, he said Lenovo saw potential in assisting those organisations in implementing new technologies to increase their efficiency.
“Although realising the important role of intelligence technology including AI, many companies have no idea of how to start employing the technology nor which one to use,” he said.
To ensure that businesses can smoothly implement new technology, he said that Lenovo’s core business has been restructured into three units: the Solutions and Services Group (SSG), the Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), and the Intelligence Devices Group.
Woraphot explained that the restructuring aims to demonstrate to customers that Lenovo will focus on providing more solution services.
With the increasing demand for AI, the majority of the solutions will be related to AI implementation, particularly in business.
Known as Digital Workplace Solutions (DWS), this management services portfolio of intelligent tools and systems provides work-related technology, security, efficiency and employee satisfaction.
“Lenovo DWS helps organisations gain a competitive edge faster by relying on Lenovo end-to-end managed services such as digital workplace advisory, personal-based configuration, unified endpoint management and security,” he said.
He expressed confidence in the growth of AI solutions in the Thai market, citing the rapid adoption of digital technology, which is encouraging businesses to embrace AI.
He also believes that Thailand’s PC market will grow as a result of the repeating purchasing cycle following the Covid-19 pandemic in both the public and private sectors.
Furthermore, rapid changes in technology will accelerate new PC demand from end-user groups, allowing them to use those technologies more smoothly.
Thaneth said that, in addition to three business solution units, Lenovo is developing the next generation of AI-ready and AI-optimised infrastructure to deliver powerful, tailored, scalable, and energy-efficient AI to customers worldwide via a hybrid approach.
“The new era of Hybrid AI will help businesses unlock the power of their data anywhere it is created and simplify the path to intelligent transformation by extending AI beyond the cloud and delivering it to businesses in real-time,” he explained.
Hybrid AI will also save companies money as they will only pay for the AI they use, he added.
Codrington emphasised the company’s commitment to improving new AI-powered devices and solutions to maintain success in a market like Thailand while also bolstering Lenovo’s brand presence across the broader Indochina region, furthering the company’s vision of AI for All.
To sustain its leadership position, Lenovo is investing an additional $1 billion in AI over the next three years, with a focus on providing AI devices, AI-ready, and AI-optimised computing infrastructure.
“The fund will embed AI-generated content into the intelligent solutions of vertical industries to help customers improve their productivity,” he said.
Ranked 217 in the Fortune Global 500, Lenovo employs 77,000 people worldwide and serves millions of customers in 180 markets. The company is now a $62 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, focusing on a bold vision to deliver smarter technology for all.
