Dell report finds AI infrastructure gaps across EMEA

A new Dell report says many businesses in the UK and across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) lack the infrastructure and plans needed to deploy artificial intelligence at scale. The findings are based on a survey; the source does not provide its sample size.

Three in five UK firms (61%) lack a clear roadmap covering AI, data and security, compared with 46% of firms across EMEA. Nearly two-thirds of IT leaders (64%) say their infrastructure is not fully prepared for AI and analytics workloads at scale. The report also says that coordinating compliance and regulatory requirements across technology stacks makes it harder for enterprises to build a solid foundation for AI.

More than half of respondents (55%) say security and compliance concerns have slowed or delayed their AI strategies, while 64% of leaders are concerned about compliance when using their data for AI. The report also points to outdated end-user devices: 79% say these are holding them back, even though 92% agree modern devices help productivity. In EMEA, 86% of leaders say AI PCs will play an important role in their future strategies.

Omdia tracking cited in the report puts AI PCs at around 44% of PC shipments at the beginning of 2026. Dell UK&I managing director and senior vice president Steve Young said the focus is shifting toward connecting infrastructure, data, security and workplace technology to deliver business value from AI at scale. The report identifies complex regulation and an expensive PC market driven by component shortages as further challenges.