Lenovo 's Tom Butler is convinced that the AI PC era isn't coming—it's already here. As Vice President of WW Commercial Portfolio, responsible for developing Lenovo's commercial notebooks including the iconic ThinkPad and ThinkBook brands, Butler spoke candidly with Times of India during Lenovo's Aura Experience showcase about why current devices represent a genuine leap forward that consumers and businesses shouldn't delay adopting.
"We're in an AI PC era. It's already started," Butler emphasized, noting that today's devices offer capabilities that previous generations "could not aspire to be.”
Lenovo's early bet on AI is now paying off
Lenovo's journey toward AI-optimized devices began well before the current industry rush. "We started almost two and a half years ago," Butler explained, describing the company's partnership with Intel on their Aura Edition devices. "We were looking at lunar lake as the platform. We chose that platform as the optimal platform for performance, battery life, AI capabilities , and then built the aura experiences on top.”
These Aura experiences—Smart Share, Smart Care, and Smart Modes—distinguish Lenovo's offerings in the marketplace. While they build upon existing technologies like Intel's Unison communication platform, Lenovo has created distinctive user experiences that go beyond the basics.
"Inside Unison is your base platform," Butler noted, "but the tap to share functionality is unique to the Aura Edition experiences." This approach of enhancing foundation technologies with innovative features represents Lenovo's broader strategy—taking proven capabilities and elevating them through thoughtful integration and design.
This strategy extends to Lenovo's silicon partnerships as well. Though the Aura Edition was developed primarily with Intel, Butler explains the company maintains deep relationships with multiple partners based on where they could make the most impact. "When I go back two and a half years ago and we looked at where I could have the most impact with my portfolio, the majority of what I ship is Intel-powered," he explained.
This foresight has given Lenovo a significant competitive advantage. "No one else has that experience," Butler pointed out. "We have been working on this for five years now.”
The new computing paradigm
When questioned about the wisdom of purchasing today's AI-capable devices versus waiting for more powerful versions in the future, Butler was refreshingly straightforward: "There's always going to be a more powerful system.”
What matters more, he argues, is that current devices from all three major silicon partners—Qualcomm, AMD, and Intel—have crossed a significant performance threshold that fundamentally changes how we should evaluate computing power.
"All three silicon partners now have arrived at what we'll call Copilot Plus as a category, with 40+ TOPS NPU capable devices," Butler explained. TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) is a key measure of AI processing capability, and Butler notes a critical shift in perspective: "We're not talking about NPU performance anymore. We're talking about total system TOPS. All of these are over 100 TOPS capable devices.”
This comes as a fundamental evolution in computing architecture. Rather than focusing solely on the neural processing unit (NPU), Butler emphasizes the importance of viewing devices as integrated systems where CPU, GPU, and NPU work together seamlessly. When one component is overtaxed, processing can shift to another—creating a more efficient and adaptable computing experience.
The security foundation for AI adoption
For this new era of AI computing to truly take hold, particularly in enterprise environments, Butler recognizes that performance alone isn't enough—trust and security are equally critical.
"The key, like for enterprise adoption, is trust of security," Butler emphasized. This focus led Lenovo to develop their approach around what they call their "3P framework: personal, productive and protected," ensuring AI features enhance user experience without compromising security.
To provide objective validation, Lenovo took an unusual step with their AI Now architecture and models. "We went to UL and had them, as an independent third party, validate the security, privacy, and transparency of the model," Butler explained. This resulted in a diamond level certification—the highest specification available—providing tangible evidence of Lenovo's commitment to secure AI implementation.
Why now is the time to embrace AI PCs
As AI computing evolves at breakneck speed, Butler and his team at Lenovo have positioned themselves at the forefront—not by promising what might be possible tomorrow, but by delivering capable, secure AI PCs today.
For customers weighing whether to buy now or wait, Butler says: "You buy now. Of course, you can wait two or three years—you'll get a better system. That's a reality, but I don't think it's going to be that significant step up as we've seen now.”
In Lenovo's view, the AI PC isn't just another iterative upgrade—it's the beginning of a fundamentally new computing paradigm that's ready to transform productivity today, not tomorrow.
"We're in an AI PC era. It's already started," Butler emphasized, noting that today's devices offer capabilities that previous generations "could not aspire to be.”
Lenovo's early bet on AI is now paying off
Lenovo's journey toward AI-optimized devices began well before the current industry rush. "We started almost two and a half years ago," Butler explained, describing the company's partnership with Intel on their Aura Edition devices. "We were looking at lunar lake as the platform. We chose that platform as the optimal platform for performance, battery life, AI capabilities , and then built the aura experiences on top.”
These Aura experiences—Smart Share, Smart Care, and Smart Modes—distinguish Lenovo's offerings in the marketplace. While they build upon existing technologies like Intel's Unison communication platform, Lenovo has created distinctive user experiences that go beyond the basics.
"Inside Unison is your base platform," Butler noted, "but the tap to share functionality is unique to the Aura Edition experiences." This approach of enhancing foundation technologies with innovative features represents Lenovo's broader strategy—taking proven capabilities and elevating them through thoughtful integration and design.
This strategy extends to Lenovo's silicon partnerships as well. Though the Aura Edition was developed primarily with Intel, Butler explains the company maintains deep relationships with multiple partners based on where they could make the most impact. "When I go back two and a half years ago and we looked at where I could have the most impact with my portfolio, the majority of what I ship is Intel-powered," he explained.
This foresight has given Lenovo a significant competitive advantage. "No one else has that experience," Butler pointed out. "We have been working on this for five years now.”
The new computing paradigm
When questioned about the wisdom of purchasing today's AI-capable devices versus waiting for more powerful versions in the future, Butler was refreshingly straightforward: "There's always going to be a more powerful system.”
What matters more, he argues, is that current devices from all three major silicon partners—Qualcomm, AMD, and Intel—have crossed a significant performance threshold that fundamentally changes how we should evaluate computing power.
"All three silicon partners now have arrived at what we'll call Copilot Plus as a category, with 40+ TOPS NPU capable devices," Butler explained. TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) is a key measure of AI processing capability, and Butler notes a critical shift in perspective: "We're not talking about NPU performance anymore. We're talking about total system TOPS. All of these are over 100 TOPS capable devices.”
This comes as a fundamental evolution in computing architecture. Rather than focusing solely on the neural processing unit (NPU), Butler emphasizes the importance of viewing devices as integrated systems where CPU, GPU, and NPU work together seamlessly. When one component is overtaxed, processing can shift to another—creating a more efficient and adaptable computing experience.
The security foundation for AI adoption
For this new era of AI computing to truly take hold, particularly in enterprise environments, Butler recognizes that performance alone isn't enough—trust and security are equally critical.
"The key, like for enterprise adoption, is trust of security," Butler emphasized. This focus led Lenovo to develop their approach around what they call their "3P framework: personal, productive and protected," ensuring AI features enhance user experience without compromising security.
To provide objective validation, Lenovo took an unusual step with their AI Now architecture and models. "We went to UL and had them, as an independent third party, validate the security, privacy, and transparency of the model," Butler explained. This resulted in a diamond level certification—the highest specification available—providing tangible evidence of Lenovo's commitment to secure AI implementation.
Why now is the time to embrace AI PCs
As AI computing evolves at breakneck speed, Butler and his team at Lenovo have positioned themselves at the forefront—not by promising what might be possible tomorrow, but by delivering capable, secure AI PCs today.
For customers weighing whether to buy now or wait, Butler says: "You buy now. Of course, you can wait two or three years—you'll get a better system. That's a reality, but I don't think it's going to be that significant step up as we've seen now.”
In Lenovo's view, the AI PC isn't just another iterative upgrade—it's the beginning of a fundamentally new computing paradigm that's ready to transform productivity today, not tomorrow.
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