2025 ‘AI-Nomics’ CIO Report: Key Findings on AI Adoption and Business Impact

• ·AI spending is set to double in 2025, making up nearly 20% of IT budgets.
•  The use of GenAI in organizations is projected to rise from 12% in 2024 to 44% in the next year.
•  Investment is moving towards developing and managing AI models, up 10% from last year.

Johannesburg, South Africa, February 2025 – Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at an inflection point, poised to reshape enterprises at an unprecedented scale. Lenovo’s 2025 CIO Playbook, It’s Time for AI-nomics, explores the current state of AI implementations across global organizations and the value being derived from AI in the enterprise. The study, conducted in partnership with IDC, provides insights from over 620 IT and business leaders across the CEMEA region, shedding light on organizational ambitions, the maturation of GenAI use cases, key areas for deeper AI adoption, and the challenges in realizing the full benefits of the technology.

AI Spending is Accelerating Rapidly

The research underscores that AI investment is set to more than double in 2025, accounting for nearly 20% of total IT budgets. Among organizations that have deployed AI projects in the past year, 94% reported that their implementations at least met expectations, with nearly a third exceeding them. However, maintaining this growth trajectory remains a significant concern, as scaling AI and addressing data quality issues are the top challenges where projects have fallen short.

The Institutionalization of GenAI

Generative AI (GenAI) is moving past experimentation into institutionalized adoption. In 2024, only 12% of organizations implemented GenAI use cases, but this number is expected to rise to 44% in the next 12 months. Furthermore, 65% of enterprises across the region favor hybrid infrastructure for AI workloads, yet nearly a quarter still lack an AI Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) policy—a gap that could hinder long-term success and responsible AI deployment.

Investment Shifts Toward AI Model Development

Companies are shifting their AI investments towards developing and managing AI models, reflecting a 10% increase compared to the previous year. However, four critical hurdles persist: data sovereignty and compliance, seamless AI integration with existing systems, employee training, and the availability of high-quality data. Addressing these barriers will be essential for businesses to unlock AI’s full potential and drive meaningful transformation.

Leading AI Innovation with Hybrid AI Advantage

With a clear focus on accelerating AI adoption, Lenovo’s strategy is designed to enable customers to build, scale, and evolve AI environments faster, more effectively, and with greater ease. At the core of Lenovo’s AI leadership is its Hybrid AI Advantage, a framework built on a hybrid foundation of platforms including the personal, public, and enterprise. This approach seamlessly integrates

Lenovo’s cutting-edge devices, high-performance infrastructure, and AI-driven services, allowing organizations to implement AI solutions tailored to their unique needs.

A key differentiator of the Hybrid AI Advantage is Lenovo’s strategic partnerships with global technology leaders such as NVIDIA, Microsoft, Intel, Qualcomm, and VMware, as well as a vast network of innovative AI-focused startups. These collaborations empower businesses with state-of-the-art AI solutions that deliver real-world impact.

Lenovo’s AI solutions are built around three core pillars: Speed, an AI Fast Start solution accelerates AI adoption, delivering a production-ready AI model in just 9 weeks or less. Ease, an AI Library that provides pre-configured AI solutions tailored for enterprise applications, simplifying deployment. Plus, Expertise, services that meet businesses at every stage of their AI journey.

An Expansive AI Ecosystem

Lenovo’s AI commitment is reinforced by its AI Innovators Program (LAII), launched in 2022. This ecosystem comprises over 45 AI partners, contributing more than 100 AI solutions across diverse sectors, with an investment footprint exceeding $1 billion. These AI solutions span applications such as computer vision, audio recognition, security, predictive analytics, and virtual assistants.

Moreover, the technology brand has made substantial investments in AI development, including training over 12,000 engineers in AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), and hybrid cloud technologies. The company currently offers more than 165 enterprise AI solutions and operates four dedicated global AI innovation centers.

AI as a Productivity Multiplier

The findings from Lenovo’s 2025 CIO Playbook make it clear, AI is no longer a futuristic desire but a present-day reality. As AI agents proliferate, IT leaders face high-stakes decisions on how to leverage AI to maximize productivity, streamline operations, and maintain a competitive edge. The weight of these decisions is growing, reinforcing the urgency for enterprises to establish robust AI strategies, governance frameworks, and workforce readiness initiatives.

With AI expected to be a meaningful multiplier of employee productivity, the focus must now shift from merely adopting AI to scaling it effectively and responsibly. Lenovo’s research underscores that while the AI opportunity is immense, realizing its full benefits will require organizations to address foundational challenges, invest in infrastructure, and foster an AI-ready culture.

Explore the full EMEA Lenovo AInomics Report here

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