How AI will ‘reshape the UK business landscape’ in 2025, according to Dell boss
How artificial intelligence (AI) will “reshape the UK business landscape” in 2025 has been outlined by Dell Technologies’ top boss in the country.
Steve Young, who is the US giant’s UK senior vice president and managing director, has said new approaches to data centre infrastructure will be crucial to delivering the predicted return on investment (ROI) increase from AI next year.
He has also talked up the potential of ‘Edge AI’, a technology that uses the technology on devices near the user to process data locally and make real-time decisions.
Young argued that 2024 was a “year of discovery” as firms experimented with generative AI (GenAI) tools and that 2025 will be the year the technology “shifts from exploration to execution”.
He addd: “For many, the test-and-learn phase is already starting to pay off, with 70 per ent of UK companies seeing ROI from GenAI in at least one use case. And over the next year, enterprises will continue to see real ROI as they scale AI.
“For UK verticals like healthcare, education, government, and retail, which are all ripe for AI-driven innovation – the time has come to move from pilot projects to scaled solutions.
“However, to see true ROI, UK businesses must apply AI technology only to the most impactful processes in their most important functions.
“The focus should shift to developing tailored, scalable AI applications that solve current challenges while also positioning companies for future opportunities.”
2025: The year of the AI PC
Dell’s UK boss has also argued that 2025 will be the year of the AI PC for three reasons.
He added: “First, the importance of the edge – where data is created and consumed – is growing.
“In 2025, data will become increasingly distributed, and AI will follow the data. This means moving beyond the data centre and cloud to the edge and the PC.
“With AI PCs, data can be processed directly on the device to drive real-time insight, potentially reducing cost and allaying security considerations.”
Young also said AI PCs will be boosted by the number of UK businesses seeking to buy new equipment as Windows 10 reaches end of life in 2025.
He said: “Older devices may not meet Windows 11 requirements and will lack the latest built-in performance, security, and AI enhancements.
“IT leaders will need to audit their current client hardware in relation to their future requirements, leading many to consider how AI PCs could become invaluable tools and help overcome the challenges of the modern workplace.”
Young also argued that AI PCs will “redefine innovation by boosting productivity, streamlining workflows and enabling advanced analytics”.
‘Those who fail to adapt will be disadvantaged’
The UK boss of Dell also said that traditional siloed data centres will be replaced by “disaggregated architectures” which allow computing, storage and networking systems to scale independently.
He added that this provides businesses with “faster, more flexible operations without being locked into specific vendor solutions, a crucial step forward for UK businesses aiming for efficiency and agility”.
Young said: “While this more optimised and highly tuned approach offers numerous benefits, it also requires a reimagining of the traditional method.
“Organisations that fail to adopt the right AI strategy and architecture will be at a disadvantage.
“This is where offerings like The Dell AI Factory come in – a framework that makes it easy to integrate, process, and deploy AI across various infrastructures.”