ZOPS or ZIP? Intel AI PC Math Doesn’t Add Up

Intel’s ZOPS math checks out—but does anyone actually care?

The chipmaker claims to have shipped 'slightly north' of 100 million AI PCs featuring NPUs for local AI processing. This math underpins its rebranding of TOPS (Trillions of Operations) to ZOPS (Zetta OPS), with Tom Petersen acknowledging 4 ZOPS equals 100 million installed units.

Petersen called Microsoft Copilot+ 'one of these useful options' once it becomes more useful, positioning it as a potential trigger for adoption.

Dell’s observation complicates the narrative: consumers 'are not buying based on AI,' suggesting Intel’s market share—rather than user demand—drives the numbers. Petersen himself admitted uncertainty about real-world AI usage: 'Are they useful yet?' The gap between technical metrics and consumer behavior remains stark.