With Windows 10 support having ended in 2025, many organizations are already refreshing laptops and reassessing device standards across a mixed workforce. At the same time, AI features are increasingly running on the device itself, which means processor choice now has a direct impact on performance, battery life, and the AI experiences users can access.
For business buyers, that puts new weight on selecting the right Intel® Core™ Ultra processor. Choosing the wrong tier can lead to over-provisioned devices for everyday users, underpowered devices for demanding roles, and avoidable variation across the device fleet.
This article looks at the Intel® Core™ Ultra lineup through a business lens, with a focus on choosing the right processor for different workplace roles.
What Is An AI PC? (And What It’s Not)
Before comparing Intel® Core™ Ultra processors, it helps to clarify what “AI PC” actually means in a business context. An AI PC is a computer designed to run AI workloads locally using a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), alongside the CPU and GPU. The NPU is purpose-built to handle AI tasks efficiently on the device, which can improve responsiveness, battery life, and data privacy by reducing reliance on cloud processing.
TOPS (trillions of operations per second) measures the theoretical AI compute capacity a processor can deliver. How that compute is used depends on the workload. More demanding (or short-duration) AI workloads typically run on the GPU, while sustained, low-power AI tasks are well suited to the NPU. Higher available TOPS generally enables more capable and more consistent on-device AI experiences as operating systems and a growing number of applications increasingly take advantage of AI processing on the PC.
Why “AI-capable” Can Mean Different Things
Not every system described as “AI capable” works the same way. Some rely primarily on cloud-based AI services. Others use GPUs to accelerate specific workloads. A modern AI PC includes a dedicated NPU designed for sustained, efficient on-device AI processing.
AI PC vs. Copilot+ PC
These terms are often used interchangeably, but they describe different things.
An AI PC refers broadly to systems designed to run AI workloads on the device using a combination of the CPU, GPU, and a dedicated NPU, depending on the type of workload.
Copilot+ PC is Microsoft’s defined category for a subset of AI PCs that meet specific hardware requirements to enable certain on-device Windows AI features. These requirements include an NPU capable of 40+ TOPS, at least 16GB of memory, and 256GB or more of local storage.
Most organizations start by deciding which AI-enabled Windows experiences matter for different roles. In cases where those experiences depend on Copilot+ PC–class hardware, selecting devices that meet those requirements becomes important. In other cases, many AI PCs can still deliver meaningful on-device AI benefits without needing to meet that specific category.
AI Capability Goes beyond CPU and GPU
A faster CPU or GPU does not automatically translate to stronger on-device AI performance. For many AI features built into Windows, the NPU—and its TOPS rating—is the key specification that determines what experiences a device can support.
How to Read Intel® Core™ Ultra Names
Intel® Core™ Ultra naming can look complex at first glance, but there’s a simple way to make sense of it when evaluating business laptops.
- Tier: Ultra 5, Ultra 7, Ultra 9
The tier indicates the overall performance class. Higher tiers typically provide more compute headroom and are better suited for heavier workloads. - Series / Generation
Newer processor series often introduce platform-level improvements, such as gains in efficiency, graphics, and AI acceleration, while connectivity advances depend on the overall platform and adapter choices. - Suffix Letters (the fastest way to judge fit)
The suffix letter indicates the type of laptop the processor is designed for:- V: Thin-and-light designs optimized for mobility and battery life; built on Intel’s Lunar Lake architecture (officially the Intel® Core™ Processor Series 2)
- U: Mainstream productivity laptops
- H: Performance-oriented systems
- HX: Workstation-class laptops
These suffixes matter because they signal the likely balance between battery life, thermals, and sustained performance—often more clearly than tier alone. If you remember one thing, the suffix letter usually tells you more about real-world fit than the processor tier.
The Intel® Core™ Ultra Lineup: Which Fits What Type of Business User?
Choosing the right processor isn’t just about performance numbers. What matters most is how each processor family is designed to support different ways people actually work. The Intel® Core™ lineup reflects these distinctions, making it easier to align performance, mobility, and efficiency to specific business roles instead of guessing based on specs alone.
Intel® Core™ Ultra 200V
Best Fit:
Executives, sales teams, consultants, managers, and most knowledge workers who spend their days in meetings, collaboration tools, and productivity applications.
What You Get:
- Best-in-class battery life in thin-and-light designs
- Fast, responsive performance for everyday business workloads
- Efficient on-device AI acceleration via the NPU
Considerations:
- Not designed for sustained heavy compute or workstation-class workloads
- Intel® vPro®-based SKUs ensure consistent manageability and security across OEMs
Why It Stands Out:
For many organizations refreshing laptops at scale, Intel® Core™ 200V is the simplest and most practical default for mobile-first business users. It delivers AI readiness, portability, and efficiency while keeping fleet standards simple and consistent.
Intel® Core™ Ultra U
Best Fit:
Standard office productivity roles and broad-based fleet deployments.
What You Get:
- Balanced performance and power efficiency
- Broad availability across mainstream business laptops
- Predictable fit for mixed-use workloads
Considerations:
- Less headroom for sustained multitasking compared to H-class systems
Intel® Core™ Ultra H
Best Fit:
Analysts, developers, and users running heavier multitasking or content creation.
What You Get:
- Higher sustained performance than U-class processors
- Better fit for demanding applications
- Improved graphics performance with integrated Intel® Arc™ graphics
Considerations:
- Typically thicker device designs
- Shorter battery life compared to thin-and-light efficiency-focused laptops
Intel® Core™ Ultra HX
Best Fit:
Engineering, CAD, advanced analytics, and data science workloads that require sustained CPU performance, with discrete graphics used where applicable to augment integrated graphics for intensive 2D and 3D workloads.
What you get:
- Workstation-class performance
- Support for sustained, workstation-class compute workloads with discrete GPU configurations as required
Considerations:
- Larger, heavier devices
- Higher power and thermal requirements; best suited for users who consistently need sustained high-performance compute
Don’t Stop at the Processor:
5 Specs That Keep AI PC Purchases from Backfiring
Choosing the right processor is an important first step—but it’s not enough on its own. Many AI PC deployments fall short not because of the CPU choice, but because supporting specifications weren’t aligned to how devices are actually used at scale. These five considerations have the biggest impact on performance, manageability, and long-term value.
1. Memory (RAM)
Memory plays a major role in how well AI-assisted features and modern Windows workflows perform over time.
- 16GB is the minimum baseline for Windows 11, collaboration tools, and AI-assisted productivity features
- 32GB or more is worth standardizing for power users, heavier multitasking, and organizations planning longer refresh cycles
2. Storage
Storage capacity affects both performance and usability, especially as applications and local data footprints grow.
- 256GB fills up quickly once business applications, updates, user files, and local AI models accumulate
- 512GB or more is a safer standard for business fleets and helps reduce support issues over the device lifecycle
3. Connectivity
Connectivity directly affects productivity, especially in hybrid and mobile work environments.
- Standardize on Wi-Fi 6E or newer to support faster, more reliable connections in dense office or campus environments, where supporting access point infrastructure is in place or planned.
- Thunderbolt™delivers a consistent standard for docking and peripheral connectivity while reducing desk-side complexity
4. Security and Manageability
For business fleets, security and manageability are just as important as performance.
- Hardware-backed security features help protect data and identities at the device level
- Choose devices that align with your existing device management and deployment approach—platforms like Intel® vPro® are considered best-in-class for enterprise security and manageability—to simplify rollout, updates, and future refresh cycles.
5. Form Factor and Battery Life
Even the best-specified device can disappoint if it doesn’t match how users work.
- Match device size, weight, and battery life to travel frequency and meeting-heavy roles
- Thin-and-light designs work well for mobile users, while performance systems may trade portability for power
By standardizing these specifications alongside processor choice, organizations can reduce support issues, improve user satisfaction, and avoid costly mid-cycle exceptions.
Planning Tools:
- A Practical Framework for Choosing the Right AI PC
- Once you understand how the Intel® Core™ Ultra lineup is segmented, choosing the right AI PC becomes less about comparing specs and more about matching devices to how people actually work. This decision framework helps teams align processor choice to real-world roles, reduce over-specifying, and keep fleet standards manageable.
Ask three questions:
- Is the user primarily mobile and collaboration-focused?
Look at meeting-heavy schedules, daily use of productivity and collaboration tools, and the importance of battery life and portability. - Does the user run sustained, compute-intensive workloads?
This includes development, engineering, data analysis, or content creation that places continuous demands on the CPU or GPU. - Does the role require specific on-device AI experiences?
All AI PCs support baseline Windows AI features such as Windows Studio Effects including live transcription. More advanced on-device experiences, such as live translation and Click to Do, require Copilot+ PC–class hardware, which includes higher NPU performance and can influence processor selection.
Map the answers:
- Default: Intel® Core™ Ultra 200V
The right default for many mobile-first business users prioritizing battery life, responsiveness, and modern Windows experiences. - Mainstream fleets: Intel® Core™ Ultra U
Well-suited for standard productivity roles where consistency, availability, and broad OEM choice matter. - Higher-performance needs: Intel® Core™ Ultra H
A better fit for users who multitask heavily or run more demanding applications. - Workstation-class demands: Intel® Core™ Ultra HX
Designed for engineering, CAD, and other workloads that require sustained CPU performance and, where applicable, discrete GPU acceleration.
By starting with a small set of user profiles and mapping them to the appropriate Intel® Core™ Ultra families, organizations can simplify processor selection, reduce device sprawl, and make the rest of the laptop configuration—memory, storage, security, and form factor—much easier to standardize.
Standardize First, Then Buy with Confidence
Next Steps:
- Download the AI PC Comparison Guide
- View laptops powered by Intel® Core™ Ultra
- Shop all Intel® Core™ Ultra devices
- Talk with a Connection specialist about aligning AI PC choices to your workforce needs.
Michael Robie
With over 30 years of experience in computer technology, Michael works hard as an Intel® Business Development Specialist at Connection to help customers achieve their maximum effectively through the strategic application of Intel® technologies. Michael received his Business degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
