My Conversation with Intel at MWC: The Quest for the Ultimate AI Application

Once recognized as Mobile World Congress, now called MWC, this tech trade event was once a must-visit destination back in the heyday of Windows Phone. Times have changed, and today, MWC has become a diverse platform where leading PC manufacturers display their innovation in both enterprise and consumer technology.

What really draws me in, however, is Intel’s massive exhibit, showcasing its lineup of commercial AI-enabled PCs. These machines are equipped with Lunar Lake mobile processors, which I got a sneak peek of in Taiwan last year, alongside the newer Arrow Lake chips.

### Intel’s Mission: Making AI Accessible to Everyone

Intel never fails to impress with its mobile processors, with the Core Ultra Series 2 bringing about a notable leap in efficiency and battery life compared to its predecessors, the Meteor Lake chipsets. During a fascinating dive into the Xeon 6 platform built for data centers, I had engaging conversations with Craig Raymond, Intel’s AI PC demo whiz. We discussed the potential and common misconceptions surrounding AI-designed PCs and their actual appeal to the average user.

Craig was equally enthusiastic about AI in computing, and he offered insightful demos of agentic AI while we delved into the benefits of OpenVINO. This suite comes packed with plugins and locally-operating large language models (LLMs), which could indeed revolutionize consumer perceptions by emphasizing localized processing through dedicated neural processing units (NPUs) in PCs.

### Clearing the Air on AI PCs

Finding the “killer AI app” that will convince everyday users of AI PCs’ revolutionary possibilities was my primary goal at MWC. Approaching each company, I aimed to unravel the technical jargon and present these innovations to consumers in an approachable way — for folks like my parents who don’t necessarily follow tech trends but need clear, relatable information.

Microsoft at MWC emphasized enterprise AI and cloud services through Azure, but also kept a spotlight on Copilot. Yet, despite Microsoft mandating a minimum of 40 TOPS for Copilot+ PCs, it’s unrealistic to expect casual consumers to grasp concepts like “tera operations per second.” Further influencing perception are AI’s associations with tools like DALL-E and the daunting rise of deepfakes, creating confusion and skepticism about what AI truly offers in terms of personal computing benefits.

### AI PCs on Their Way to Becoming the Norm

AI PCs may have facilitated a shift in the Windows PC landscape, what Daniel Rubino, our editor-in-chief, terms the ‘Great Reset.’ However, predicting them to fade into the background isn’t due to a lack of impact — in fact, they’ve revolutionized personal computing architecture with the integration of CPU, iGPU, and the increasingly critical NPU.

Reflecting on a conversation with David Feng at Intel, he suggested that “AI PCs” will soon just be called PCs, emphasizing a future where AI capabilities are an inseparable part of computing. Indeed, the ability of NPUs to handle AI tasks in the background with minimal energy consumption is groundbreaking, and their incorporation into standard PC architecture seems inevitable.

### The AI PC’s real revolution: The device itself

From my experiences at MWC, it’s clear the true revolution isn’t a single app but the AI PC itself. Enabling secure, local AI processing without cloud dependency is key, embodied in myriad applications that will seamlessly integrate into everyday devices.

Utilities such as HP’s myHP and Lenovo’s Vantage software will increasingly exploit AI to deliver helpful insights and device-specific information, allowing users to interact directly with their machines in meaningful ways.

Industry giants like Dell are ensuring that they offer platforms for customers to develop their own tailor-made ‘killer apps.’ It means the ingenuity will mostly stem from users’ own innovations rather than pre-packaged solutions from major manufacturers.

For now, as the standardization process kicks off, consumers might wonder about their NPU’s role, given minimal visible activity unless engaging in specific AI tasks. Still, as developers begin harnessing these NPUs for background processes, we can expect improved battery life and cooler running devices — benefits that are sure to be hyped in future product launches.

In conclusion, while there might not be a lauded singular “killer AI app” just yet, the continual enhancements AI brings to our computing lives will quietly redefine what we expect from our PCs.