Enterprise computing is moving toward a new question: what should a workplace PC do beyond running applications? A GlobalData executive roundtable, held in partnership with AMD in mid-September in Amsterdam, examined how organizations can use enterprise AI across hybrid workloads and agentic PCs.
The discussion came as businesses prepare for Windows 11 refresh cycles, rising AI infrastructure costs, and the arrival of autonomous AI agents. In that setting, the traditional PC looks set to become a more strategic endpoint rather than simply another employee device. AI is being used to reimagine enterprise workloads, and the PC may become part of that change.
From employee device to strategic endpoint
The roundtable brought together senior IT and business leaders to discuss the next generation of enterprise computing. Their focus was practical: how agentic PCs and hybrid AI architectures might help organizations accelerate innovation while keeping control over cost, data, and user experience.
That balance shaped much of the conversation. Attendees discussed how to deploy agentic PCs, how to evaluate their costs, and how these devices could affect existing AI architecture. The central issue was not only what the hardware can do, but how it fits into systems that organizations already use.
One attendee summed up the challenge with a direct question: “how do I deploy Agentic PCs responsibly? Any cost equation must be performed in the context of existing architectural frameworks and the demand of the users.”
That question places the PC inside a wider enterprise decision. Organizations must consider their existing architecture and the needs of users at the same time. A device that adds AI capability still has to make sense within the cost, data, and user experience controls that leaders are trying to maintain.
Where agentic PCs may have the biggest impact
Software engineers are considered early adopters of agentic PCs, but the possible uses extend across many business functions. The roundtable identified customer support, workflow automation, data summarization, document creation and revision, system upkeep, meeting scheduling, and project status reporting as potential use cases.
These examples cover both technical and administrative work. They also show why the impact of agentic PCs may reach beyond a single department. A device that supports system upkeep could matter to IT, while document revision, meeting scheduling, and status reporting could support wider business workflows.
Research by IDC points to IT and security as the departments expected to benefit most from agentic PCs, at 73%. Operations and supply chain follow at 42%, with marketing at 38%. HR and talent management and finance each stand at 31%.
- IT and security: 73%
- Operations and supply chain: 42%
- Marketing: 38%
- HR and talent management: 31%
- Finance: 31%
The figures suggest that interest is not limited to teams that build software or manage infrastructure. Agentic PCs could support departments that handle workflows, information, documents, schedules, and reporting, giving business leaders several ways to assess their value.
The cost question behind the refresh cycle
Cost remains a major test for any enterprise PC strategy. Most organizations consider a 50% cost increase for enterprise-scale PC refreshes unaffordable. That creates a clear limit for businesses weighing new hardware against the need to prepare for AI-enabled work.
The roundtable also included a more encouraging calculation. Another attendee said that “an agentic PC can deliver a return on investment within six to seven months.” That time frame gives organizations a way to compare the cost of deployment with the value created by the workloads they choose to support.
The calculation will depend on the use cases each organization selects. Customer support, workflow automation, summarization, document work, system upkeep, scheduling, and project reporting all offer different ways to judge an agentic PC’s contribution. The key question is whether those uses fit existing architecture and meet actual user demand.
There is also a hardware-life factor. Existing models are already getting smaller from a compute point of view, which will help extend the life of existing agentic PCs. That development matters for organizations that cannot absorb a 50% increase in enterprise-scale PC refresh costs.
For enterprise leaders, the path forward is tied to both opportunity and control. Agentic PCs may help rework everyday workloads, support departments beyond software engineering, and produce a return on investment within six to seven months. But deployment still requires a close look at architecture, cost, data, and user experience.
The Amsterdam roundtable’s message was clear: the enterprise PC is becoming part of the AI strategy. As organizations face Windows 11 refresh cycles, higher AI infrastructure costs, and autonomous AI agents, the device on an employee’s desk may take on a much more strategic role.
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