February 2025 - AI-nomics: Does the AI Investment Boom Need a Reality Check?

With the rising power and prevalence of generative AI, can we all finally put to rest any notions that the technology is over-hyped? Well, no. At least not when it comes to the perception of real business ROI. Let’s look at the data:

• 42 percent of global organizations plan to institutionalize generative AI use cases in 2025 (over the current 11 percent!)

• AI spending expectations by IT decision-makers globally to nearly triple in 2025

• 37 percent of management remains skeptical toward AI

That’s all according to new IDC research commissioned by Lenovo—packed up neatly into our global 2025 CIO Playbook, It’s Time for AI-nomics.

The disconnect between growing AI investments and pervasive doubts among decision-makers about its value is clear—and perhaps unavoidable for a relatively new and revolutionary technology.

“AI is a marathon and a sprint – requiring parallel efforts to move quickly to modernize systems, while ensuring the future-proofing of tech stacks,” said Ken Wong, President, Solutions & Services Group, Lenovo. “Our research shows organizations need to simplify the design, deployment, and integration of AI solutions to demonstrate the impact of these investments. This will instill greater confidence and fuel future investments.”

AI adoption is surging, but organizations need more than just enthusiasm and innovation—they need strategy, infrastructure, and enhanced data quality. So companies are realizing they can’t do this alone: access to the right partners with strong AI services and solutions can make or break AI implementations. The good news? That’s what we’re here for. 😉 Lenovo offers scalable and proven hybrid AI solutions.

This month, Lenovo also broke ground on a new manufacturing facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This parallels an expansion of our partnership with IBM—announced at LEAP 2025—to scale generative AI in the region. Our technology solutions and community impact are now more global than ever.

And speaking of IBM, who pioneered the ThinkPad line that is now proudly part of Lenovo, we have a new behind-the-scenes series on how we pack portability, power, and durability into those iconic PCs. Meet the Japanese engineers behind groundbreaking innovation in the ThinkBIG Academy video series.

Finally, we’re proud to share that Lenovo was named by Fortune as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies.

Oh, and stay tuned for next month’s newsletter—we have a jaw-dropping technology lineup ready to reveal at MWC. 😎

• Lenovo Global Study Reveals ROI Remains Greatest AI Adoption Barrier, Despite Three-Fold Spend Increase

• Alat and Lenovo Break Ground on Major New Manufacturing Facility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

• IBM and Lenovo Expand Strategic Technology Partnership in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

• Lenovo India and Motorola Mobility partner with Muskaan Dreams to empower government school students with 21st century skills

• The Secure by Design Pledge: What is it, and how does it benefit Lenovo’s customers?

• From superheroes to alien worlds: how Lenovo Workstations and AMD Threadripper processors empower media and entertainment professionals

• How Axians ICT Austria scaled its services globally with Lenovo TruScale Infrastructure as a Service