The "real-time enterprise (RTE)" that the IT industry dreamed of 20 years ago is only now becoming reality. Computers are no longer just windows that display information; they are agents that make their own judgments and produce outcomes. The survival of corporations will be determined by the timing of AI solution adoption and their ability to use them.
Kang Yong-nam, who returned last month as head of HP Korea, met with ChosunBiz at the Yeouido headquarters in Seoul on the 22nd and pointed to "real-time task processing" as the most fundamental change AI will bring. He said that whereas it once took days to analyze data and write reports, we have now entered an era in which individuals with high-performance computing power make decisions in real time alongside AI agents.
Kang joined LG Electronics in 1994 and is a figure who has worked at the Korea branches of all three of the global PC makers known as the Big 3: Dell, Lenovo, and HP. In particular, after overseeing the Asia-Pacific region at Lenovo and mastering the dynamics of supply chains, he proposed a "great shift in AI infrastructure" as the game-changer to break the PC market's prolonged slump.
The core of the change he emphasizes is "a move from centralization to distribution." Kang said, "If all computation relies on the cloud (the center), bottlenecks in security and speed are inevitable," adding, "Building 'AI factories' equipped with high-performance GPUs at the department level—processing data in real time within departments, maintaining security, and outputting only results—will become the benchmark of corporate competitiveness."
This strategy is grounded in its overwhelming dominance in the domestic workstation market. HP holds more than a 50% share in the domestic workstation market and has been No. 1 for 16 consecutive quarters. Kang said he aims to transfer the strengths of this "infrastructure for professionals" to the corporate AI market and transform the company from a simple manufacturer into an "AI total solutions corporation" that encompasses software, security, and services.
Regarding a rebound in results, he said, "By the end of this year, we will fill half of HP products with 'AI-ready' models to complete a high value-added, revenue-centered structure," emphasizing, "We will go beyond simple volume competition to raise both average selling price (ASP) and operating margin."
On the technology side, the company put forward its system integration capabilities that push past hardware limits, such as the ultra-compact workstation "ZGX Nano G1n" equipped with Nvidia Blackwell (GB10). Kang said, "While competitors focus on installing general-purpose chips, HP differentiated system stability through Wolf Security and more than 1 million independent software vendor (ISV) validation scenarios," adding, "Our technology that controls heat during ultra-high-output computation while perfectly protecting data will be HP's winning move that overwhelms Dell or Lenovo in the B2B market." The following is a Q&A with Kang.
—What practical impact will a "real-time corporation" have on individuals' work styles?
The volume and quality of work one person can handle will grow dramatically. Marketing analysis or legal review that once required a large department can now be handled by an individual in real time with a single AI station. As an environment is created for individuals to immerse themselves in more creative work, the "era of one-person startups" will accelerate.
—Why must the infrastructure shift from centralized to distributed?
Because of security and efficiency. Organizations like hospitals or research institutes cannot send patient records or research information outside (to the cloud). To complete true On-device AI, you need an AI station that serves as a "small brain" within the department to process data immediately there. This is why corporations' IT investment is shifting from an all-cloud approach to expanding local infrastructure.
—What is HP's specific direction for moving beyond a hardware company to a solutions company?
It is about going beyond selling hardware to providing an environment in which customers can run AI agents immediately, end to end. Through subscription-based device-as-a-service (DaaS) and the like, we will help corporations maintain the latest AI infrastructure without large initial expense. HP's new growth engine to shake off weak results lies in this "AI integrated ecosystem."
—Will the way people use computers change completely as AI advances?
If computers were previously tools to "search" and "record" information, going forward, agentic AI that has computers "do work" on their own will become the mainstream. 2026 will be the first year when that change explodes. AI's reasoning logic is likely to surpass the human level within two years, and corporations should hurry to build infrastructure in preparation.
—How would you explain in relatable terms why high-performance PCs are necessary for general users?
In the past, high-performance computers were seen as the exclusive domain of gamers, but now everyone needs a "brain" that helps with their work in real time. If you want to analyze data, edit video, and summarize legal documents in under a minute, AI station-level computing power is essential. AI PCs with high-end memory and NPUs are not simple consumer goods but production tools that generate revenue.