Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026 highlights AI surge

The Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026 indicates that enterprises across Asia Pacific are accelerating artificial intelligence adoption, shifting from experimental use cases to enterprise-wide deployment. The study finds that most organisations are planning to increase AI investments over the next 12 months.

According to the fourth edition of the report, titled The Race for Enterprise AI, 96% of organisations across the region expect to raise their AI spending. On average, enterprises anticipate a 15% increase in AI-related budgets covering areas such as generative AI, agentic AI, public cloud AI services, on-premises infrastructure and AI security tools.

India stands out within the region. The study shows that 99% of Indian enterprises plan to increase AI investments, with an expected 19% year-on-year budget growth, the highest in Asia Pacific.

AI investments move into core enterprise strategy

The Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026 suggests that artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of central business strategy rather than a limited IT initiative.

Sumir Bhatia, President, Asia Pacific, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Lenovo, said that the scale of planned AI investment reflects how deeply AI decisions are now embedded in enterprise planning.

He noted that the key challenge for organisations will be integrating AI effectively into infrastructure, operations and security frameworks so that its benefits continue to grow over time.

Across the region, CIOs identify three primary business objectives driving AI adoption:

• Revenue growth

• Profitability improvements

• Enhanced customer and business experience

These priorities indicate that enterprises are using AI not only to automate tasks but also to influence broader business outcomes.

Shift from experimentation to outcomes

The report highlights a change in enterprise priorities compared with earlier years. While organisations previously focused on validating the return on investment for AI projects, they are now concentrating on measurable business outcomes.

The study indicates that 88% of organisations expect a positive return from AI investments in 2026, with an estimated average return of 2.8 times the initial investment.

However, scaling AI systems beyond pilot stages remains a challenge. Many organisations continue to address issues related to governance, operational frameworks and lifecycle management for AI deployments.

AI adoption spreads beyond IT departments

Another trend highlighted in the Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026 is the growing adoption of AI across business functions beyond IT.

Across Asia Pacific:

• 66% of organisations are already piloting or systematically adopting AI

• 15% remain in early stages of implementation

• 19% are still evaluating adoption

In India, 59% of organisations are already piloting or systematically adopting AI, while 19% are in early stages and 23% are considering deployment.

The report notes that AI is increasingly used in functions such as customer service, marketing, operations and finance. Industry-specific departments are also adopting AI solutions tailored to their operational needs.

A notable development is that non-IT departments are increasingly funding AI projects, strengthening the role of CIOs as coordinators of enterprise-wide AI initiatives.

Agentic AI draws growing enterprise interest

The Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026 identifies agentic AI as a developing area of interest for enterprises.

Currently:

• 21% of organisations report significant use of agentic AI

• 59% are exploring or planning limited deployments

Industries with complex operations, including telecommunications, healthcare and government sectors, are showing particular interest.

Fan Ho, Executive Director and General Manager, Asia Pacific, Solutions and Services Group, Lenovo, said agentic AI represents a shift in how intelligence becomes embedded into enterprise workflows.

However, readiness levels vary widely. Only 10% of organisations consider themselves prepared for large-scale agentic AI deployment, while 41% expect it may take more than a year to reach that stage.

Key challenges include security concerns, governance requirements, data quality issues and system integration complexity.

Hybrid AI architecture becomes standard

The report also highlights changes in enterprise infrastructure strategies.

As AI workloads increase, organisations are adopting hybrid AI architectures that combine cloud environments with on-premises or edge computing resources.

According to the Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026:

• 86% of Asia Pacific organisations use hybrid infrastructure for AI deployments

• 90% of Indian enterprises prefer hybrid AI architectures

Key factors influencing this preference include data privacy requirements, regulatory compliance and the cost of large-scale cloud deployments.

CIO priorities for the coming years

The Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026 outlines several strategic priorities shaping enterprise technology decisions.

One major shift is the growing importance of AI inferencing, which involves using trained AI models to generate insights and predictions. Over time, inferencing costs are expected to significantly exceed training costs.

The report estimates that by 2030, around 75% of AI computing capacity will focus on inferencing, with most enterprises relying on distributed edge infrastructure.

Another emerging priority is employee productivity through AI-enabled devices. The study suggests that AI PCs and on-device AI agents will account for about half of enterprise PC purchases in the coming years.

At the same time, the report identifies a persistent challenge: converting AI prototypes into operational systems. Although organisations are optimistic about returns from AI investments, only about half of proof-of-concept projects reach full production.

India’s expanding AI adoption

Shailendra Katyal, Vice President and Managing Director, Lenovo India, said the report reflects a growing focus on infrastructure and workforce readiness as enterprises prepare to scale AI deployments.

He noted that many Indian organisations are transitioning from pilot programmes toward broader operational use of artificial intelligence.

The findings suggest that AI is gradually evolving from an experimental technology into a foundational element of enterprise infrastructure.

Through insights captured in the Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026, the report indicates that enterprises across Asia Pacific are entering a phase where AI adoption, infrastructure planning and workforce development are increasingly interconnected.

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