Latest news with #IpsitaDasgupta
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Ctrl+AI+Delete: Is the old PC dead?
Walk into any electronics retail store in a shopping mall and you will see experience zones showcasing the latest and greatest in AI PCs, running demo videos and AI apps. There will be a crowd huddled around them trying out new applications—summarising documents, writing code, generating images and making music. In-store promoters will be evangelising the benefits of a neural processing unit fitted in these laptops. Sales of AI PCs are gaining traction in India, albeit slowly. The main deterrents to mass adoption—confused consumers who are not very clear about the benefits and a steep price-tag, industry executives and market trackers told ET. Out of a total 9.9 million PCs shipped in India in 2024, only 1.2 million were AI notebooks, making up roughly 12% of total PC sales, according to IDC. Ipsita Dasgupta, managing director, HP India , told ET that AI PCs are just being introduced in the Indian market, so it's still early to quantify their share in overall shipments. However, momentum is building quickly, with strong interest across consumer and commercial segments.'Globally, 15-20% of all PCs sold this year are expected to be AI PCs and this is projected to rise to over 50% within the next two to three years,' she said. Price is not expected to be a prohibitive factor for adoption of AI PCs in India. 'When comparing an AI PC to a non-AI PC with similar specifications, the price difference is negligible. In most cases, the difference is about Rs 15,000,' Dasgupta said. Some, however, feel that the response has been below expectations. 'In the last one year, the industry has realised that the adoption of AI hardware has not grown at the pace they assumed. The slow adoption is not only in India, but globally too,' said Sudhir Goel, chief business officer, Acer India . As the hype around generative AI reaches fever pitch, there is strong interest among customers in India, however. 'We're seeing stronger interest across customer cohorts—students, creators, gamers, mid-market and enterprise—where AI use cases such as AI tutors, personal assistants, video and audio editing, intelligent threat detection, real-time translation and Copilot+ workflows have immediate impact,' said Ashish Sikka, director and category head, Lenovo India . However, steep pricing of the products has kept overall penetration of AI PCs low, industry executives said. 'People don't know why they want to pay more to buy an AI PC,' said Bharath Shenoy, principal analyst, IDC India. Shenoy said AI PCs currently command a higher price compared to non-AI PCs which is a barrier, especially for bulk enterprise purchases and price-sensitive consumers. 'The entry-level price for AI PCs is currently significantly above the typical price range where the majority of Indian consumers are comfortable spending for a laptop. People were spending around Rs 30,000–35,000 for a laptop. Now it has gone up to Rs 45,000–50,000. But AI PCs start around Rs 75,000–80,000,' Shenoy said, adding that when consumers do spend that amount, they often opt for established premium alternatives. Some in the PC industry have accepted that pricing is a barrier to adoption, and has been actively working towards lowering it, admitting that the additional hardware inside AI PCs will always keep them at a premium over non-AI PCs. 'This is the beginning of the AI PC era in India. Right now, most of the AI PC devices launched are in the premium segment, and over a period of time, we will see more and more AI PCs being launched in the mainstream segment. However, AI PCs will continue to be at a premium to normal PCs, as they have significant hardware enhancements, which provide customers with an undeniable value proposition for productivity, creativity and security,' Lenovo's Sikka said. Industry executives said the second half of the year will see prices moderating. The older generation PCs will put on discounts to clear inventories, replaced by a new breed of affordable AI PCs , that will bring them closer to the average selling price of a PC in India. Goel says while prices have already started going down, a major drop is expected from June onwards. Acer specifically plans to bring AI hardware very close to what is the current mainstream pricing by May end when the back-to-school season starts, a period which typically sees PC sales go up in India. Qualcomm , a new entrant in the PC space known primarily for its chipsets for high-end smartphones, said its new Snapdragon X platform has already enabled devices at price points starting around $600 (approximately Rs 51,000), and the company now expects a big pull from consumers. Beyond just pricing, there is also a general lack of awareness of the benefits of using an AI PC, industry executives said. As awareness picks up and pricing comes down, AI PCs are expected to dominate PC sales in the years to come
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Ctrl+AI+Delete: Is the old PC dead?
Walk into any electronics retail store in a shopping mall and you will see experience zones showcasing the latest and greatest in AI PCs, running demo videos and AI apps. There will be a crowd huddled around them trying out new applications—summarising documents, writing code, generating images and making music. In-store promoters will be evangelising the benefits of a neural processing unit fitted in these laptops. Sales of AI PCs are gaining traction in India, albeit slowly. The main deterrents to mass adoption—confused consumers who are not very clear about the benefits and a steep price-tag, industry executives and market trackers told ET. Out of a total 9.9 million PCs shipped in India in 2024, only 1.2 million were AI notebooks, making up roughly 12% of total PC sales, according to IDC. Ipsita Dasgupta, managing director, HP India , told ET that AI PCs are just being introduced in the Indian market, so it's still early to quantify their share in overall shipments. However, momentum is building quickly, with strong interest across consumer and commercial segments.'Globally, 15-20% of all PCs sold this year are expected to be AI PCs and this is projected to rise to over 50% within the next two to three years,' she said. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo ETtech Price is not expected to be a prohibitive factor for adoption of AI PCs in India. 'When comparing an AI PC to a non-AI PC with similar specifications, the price difference is negligible. In most cases, the difference is about Rs 15,000,' Dasgupta said. Some, however, feel that the response has been below expectations. 'In the last one year, the industry has realised that the adoption of AI hardware has not grown at the pace they assumed. The slow adoption is not only in India, but globally too,' said Sudhir Goel, chief business officer, Acer India . Live Events As the hype around generative AI reaches fever pitch, there is strong interest among customers in India, however. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories 'We're seeing stronger interest across customer cohorts—students, creators, gamers, mid-market and enterprise—where AI use cases such as AI tutors, personal assistants, video and audio editing, intelligent threat detection, real-time translation and Copilot+ workflows have immediate impact,' said Ashish Sikka, director and category head, Lenovo India . However, steep pricing of the products has kept overall penetration of AI PCs low, industry executives said. 'People don't know why they want to pay more to buy an AI PC,' said Bharath Shenoy, principal analyst, IDC India. Shenoy said AI PCs currently command a higher price compared to non-AI PCs which is a barrier, especially for bulk enterprise purchases and price-sensitive consumers. 'The entry-level price for AI PCs is currently significantly above the typical price range where the majority of Indian consumers are comfortable spending for a laptop. People were spending around Rs 30,000–35,000 for a laptop. Now it has gone up to Rs 45,000–50,000. But AI PCs start around Rs 75,000–80,000,' Shenoy said, adding that when consumers do spend that amount, they often opt for established premium alternatives. Some in the PC industry have accepted that pricing is a barrier to adoption, and has been actively working towards lowering it, admitting that the additional hardware inside AI PCs will always keep them at a premium over non-AI PCs. 'This is the beginning of the AI PC era in India. Right now, most of the AI PC devices launched are in the premium segment, and over a period of time, we will see more and more AI PCs being launched in the mainstream segment. However, AI PCs will continue to be at a premium to normal PCs, as they have significant hardware enhancements, which provide customers with an undeniable value proposition for productivity, creativity and security,' Lenovo's Sikka said. Industry executives said the second half of the year will see prices moderating. The older generation PCs will put on discounts to clear inventories, replaced by a new breed of affordable AI PCs , that will bring them closer to the average selling price of a PC in India. Goel says while prices have already started going down, a major drop is expected from June onwards. Acer specifically plans to bring AI hardware very close to what is the current mainstream pricing by May end when the back-to-school season starts, a period which typically sees PC sales go up in India. Qualcomm , a new entrant in the PC space known primarily for its chipsets for high-end smartphones, said its new Snapdragon X platform has already enabled devices at price points starting around $600 (approximately Rs 51,000), and the company now expects a big pull from consumers. Beyond just pricing, there is also a general lack of awareness of the benefits of using an AI PC, industry executives said. As awareness picks up and pricing comes down, AI PCs are expected to dominate PC sales in the years to come
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Business Standard
25-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
HP India to start local laptop, desktop manufacturing with Dixon from May
HP India is set to kick off local production of its laptops, desktop PCs, and all-in-one systems in May, through a strategic partnership with Dixon Technologies, Moneycontrol reported. The move is expected to nearly double HP's manufacturing output compared to the previous year, Ipsita Dasgupta, senior vice-president and managing director of HP India, said as quoted by the report. The annual target for HP is almost twice what we achieved last year, and that was without PLI, the report quoted Dasgupta saying. HP is one of the 27 companies approved under the ₹17,000-crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware, which was introduced in 2023. Confident despite import policy scrutiny Addressing concerns around India's new import management system for electronic devices — an issue recently flagged in a US trade report — Dasgupta expressed confidence in the company's Indian operations. When asked where India features in HP's China+1 strategy, Dasgupta said the company's vision for India predates current global trade dynamics. The company's business strategy aligns with India's ambition to become a key player in the global supply chain, she said, adding that HP India plans to increase its share of India-based production year after year. While HP is working on increasing local value addition, Dasgupta did not confirm whether the company would apply under the newly announced ₹23,000-crore component-focused PLI scheme. Large enterprises, IT/ITeS firms, and India Inc. are driving commercial demand, while MSMEs, including those in non-metro areas, are increasingly contributing to HP's sales volumes. To cater to small and mid-sized businesses, HP has introduced 'HP Connects' — customer engagement centres located in MSME hubs. These centres offer both IT infrastructure and consulting services, often acting as outsourced CIOs for businesses without in-house tech teams. On the consumer front, Dasgupta identified gaming, content creation, and education as key growth areas. HP's gaming PC segment is performing strongly, with freelancers and online educators increasingly opting for high-performance laptops over mobile devices. In India, spending on technology often supports income generation or educational goals, the report quoted her as saying. Global laptop brands turn to India amid shifting supply chains India's aspirations to become a major hub for IT hardware manufacturing are gaining traction, as global laptop makers increasingly shift production away from China to Indian partners. This shift is being accelerated by renewed interest in the ₹17,000-crore Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware, which is finally gaining pace after a sluggish start, The Economic Times had reported. The move comes in the backdrop of ongoing trade war between the United States and China. While exemptions from US tariffs on Chinese IT hardware introduced during the Trump administration remain intact, industry players fear fresh, product-specific tariffs could be introduced as early as May. This uncertainty has prompted several companies to fast-track production agreements with Indian contract manufacturers. India emerges as a competitive alternative Indian electronics manufacturers are responding by boosting their capabilities and capitalising on the dual benefits of lower import duties and PLI incentives. These advantages not only make India an appealing manufacturing base but also enable local players to qualify for government procurement tenders, which mandate 20-50 per cent local content in IT hardware. Despite the momentum, India's domestic manufacturing is currently meeting only a fraction of the total demand. In FY24, laptop imports were valued at around $11 billion, while local production accounted for roughly $1 billion — about 10–20 per cent of the total.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
HP to rollout first PLI product in May, double India output
Electronics maker HP expects to roll out its first product made under the government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme next month and aims to double its production in India over the next year, a top executive said on Thursday. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Pakistan suspends Simla pact: What it means & who's affected What is India's defence muscle if it ever has to attack? Can Pakistan afford a full-scale war with India? Amid tariff uncertainties, HP does not anticipate any impact or changes to its domestic production ramp-up roadmap, Ipsita Dasgupta, senior vice president and managing director at HP India , said. She said the company had a plan to ramp up production in India steadily over the next five years and that plan remains unchanged. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo By the end of this year, about 13% of all PCs sold in India by HP will be locally manufactured, Dasgupta said, adding that by 2031, one in every three HP PCs sold in India will be made in the country. The products expected to be launched under the PLI scheme in May would include laptops, all-in-ones and desktops, she said. Live Events 'If you ask me if in this world of uncertainty, do you see belts tightening? I see cautious thoughtfulness about how to spend and what to spend on, and how to think about cost,' Dasgupta said. 'The players that are going to emerge to do well in whatever they sell into industries will be thinking creatively and thinking productively about solutions that allow for cost to become optimised.' Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Globally, 15–20% of all PCs sold this year are expected to be AI PCs , and this is projected to rise to over 50% within the next two to three years, according to Dasgupta. "AI PCs are just being introduced in the Indian market, so it's still early to quantify their share in overall shipments. However, momentum is building quickly, with strong interest across consumer and commercial segments," she said. Price is not expected to be a prohibitive factor for adoption of AI PCs in India, she said. PC penetration in India being under 20% presents ample room to grow, Dasgupta said. The approach is to focus on expanding the total addressable market rather than on taking competitors' market share. The company is, for instance, running outreach programmes and workshops for small and medium-sized businesses and sees market opportunities beyond the metro cities across tier-2 and 3 towns. In 2024, HP led the Indian PC market with a 30.1% market share. Its government and enterprise businesses expanded by 14.7% and 14.3%, respectively.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
HP looks to double down on PC production in India
Representative image NEW DELHI: As India moves towards finalising a bilateral trade agreement with the US, American computer giant HP on Thursday said it will grow its manufacturing engagement in the country and will push for making more desktops and laptops. HP doubled its manufacturing output in the country last year, led by the Rs 17,000-crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for making IT hardware and plans to grow the footprint of local production even further, India MD Ipsita Dasgupta said. 'We are growing and are manufacturing through PLI with Dixon. So, we are growing our manufacturing in India. And every year over the next few years, you will see a proportional rise in the percentage of manufacturing here,' Dasgupta told TOI. The company leads the computer market in India and has now been going deeper into the country with new retail formats such as 'HP Connect'— aimed at Tier 2and Tier 3 towns — that targets MSME clusters and household consumers. Dasgupta said production is being ramped up swiftly, especially as the ecosystem for manufacturing picks up. 'Within our first year, we will double our manufacturing percentage in India. We're making all-in-ones, desktops, and laptops.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Asked about the benefits of making in India, she said the PLI incentives are a significant enabler. 'But more importantly, I think it's exciting to be part of India's desire to be a significant part of the global value chain . We have a large consumer base in India. So, as you make more in India, you also learn more about making in India. And that's not something that we would want to be left out of.' She said the company believes that it will see more benefits of local manufacturing as the supplier ecosystem develops and becomes more cost-friendly. 'You know, there's still maths to be done on that, but it will get more cost-friendly. It's getting there. And I actually think in the next two-three years, this will be something that the Indian ecosystem has surmounted.' Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . Master Value & Valuation with ET! Learn to invest smartly & decode financials. Limited seats at 33% off – Enroll now!
