- Nearly three-quarters of CIOs say Macs are now used for AI processing in the enterprise
- Survey shows 96% expect Mac investment to increase over the next two years
- CIOs cited security, privacy and hardware performance as leading reasons for Mac adoption
US enterprises are adopting Macs not just for creative work or app development - but as infrastructure for AI, new research has claimed.
The figures from a MacStadium survey of 300 CIOs reported 73% cite AI processing as the top use case for Apple hardware today.
Nearly all respondents said Apple technologies are important to their IT strategies, with 22% calling them “mission-critical”. Apple now accounts for an average of nearly two-thirds (63%) of enterprise endpoints, and 96% of CIOs said they expect Mac investment to increase over the next 12 to 24 months.
Mac investment to increase
Ken Tacelli, CEO of MacStadium, said the findings confirm what the company has been seeing.
“Apple is no longer just for developers. Macs are powering AI workloads, executive teams, creative functions and enterprise-wide workflows,” he said.
“As organizations accelerate their cloud strategies, Apple infrastructure has become an essential, enterprise-ready component of IT environments.”
AI workloads are already ahead of traditional tasks like iOS and macOS app development at 68%.
Build, test and deploy workflows came in at 61%, followed by remote desktop functions at 51%, and edge computing at 46%.
Security and privacy are key drivers for adoption. Hardware security features, isolation models and Apple silicon appealed to enterprises deploying private, cloud-based AI.
Nearly two-thirds (60%) of CIOs said Apple silicon strongly influenced their decision to expand Mac use, while a third (33%) said it somewhat influenced them. Only 7% said it had no impact.
Cloud deployment was another factor, as the vast majority (97%) of CIOs reported using Mac infrastructure in the cloud, with 77% saying they used it extensively, supporting remote workforces and scaling AI-enabled workflows.
Overall, the results suggest Macs are shifting from a niche role in development to a broader role as infrastructure.
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