Hitachi Modernizes Global Employee Computing with AMD PRO

Hitachi modernizes global employee computing with AMD PRO

Hitachi projects significant cost savings as it scales its global Device-as-a-Service infrastructure using AMD Ryzen™ PRO processors

Hitachi, Ltd. employs over 280,000 people across 47 countries worldwide. IT Strategy & Digital Integration Division, which supports internal IT across the Hitachi Group, operates as a group corporate function focused on driving business value through IT. As part of the Hitachi Group's client device strategy, the division has set a vision of "Delivering the best experience (EX) to Hitachi colleagues worldwide." In line with this vision, the division has been working to improve employee productivity and motivation, enhance agility, including onboarding support, strengthen security measures, optimize costs, and promote the adoption of AI PCs.

Changes in business requirements and market environment

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Hitachi saw a surge in the use of online meetings and cloud applications. As a result, the Group's IT infrastructure, which is primarily centered on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and thin client, struggled to maintain the responsiveness required for day-to-day operations.

In addition, amid the global surge in component prices that drove up client device procurement costs, optimizing the overall IT budget, including operational expenses, became a critical priority.

Strategy and challenges

Under these circumstances, to drive business contribution and deliver the best possible EX to employees, the IT Strategy & Digital Integration Division identified two strategic focus areas.

The first is the expansion of Device as a Service (DaaS). Rather than purchasing and managing PCs internally, DaaS covers the full Life Cycle Management (LCM) process through a subscription model, including procurement, kitting, operation, data wiping, and disposal. This enables the rationalization of the total IT budget across the Hitachi Group, including overlapping operational costs. In addition, IT personnel previously required for LCM can be reassigned to business-critical areas such as digital transformation initiatives. Expanding DaaS globally, in addition to domestic deployment, is expected to generate further cost efficiencies.

However, from the perspective of employee EX, it was necessary to meet operational requirements such as delivery within a minimum of three days, business readiness within as little as ten minutes, and compliance with group-wide security standards to ensure safe and secure usage. Therefore, the selection of high-performance client devices that could ensure a stable supply of components, even amidst soaring prices, became essential.

The second strategic focus was the adoption and group-wide standardization of high-performance, high-quality, and cost-effective PCs. These devices needed to deliver sufficient local processing power to handle sustained intensive workloads in evolving work environments such as remote work, while also meeting security requirements, including data volatility.

Adoption of AMD CPU-based PCs and establishment as group standard devices

Following careful evaluation, the IT Strategy & Digital Integration Division first adopted Lenovo laptops equipped with AMD Ryzen™ processors as data-volatile PCs to replace thin clients. Subsequently, the following AMD Ryzen™ and Ryzen PRO processor-based PCs were designated as standard Hitachi Group PCs for office automation (OA) use:

• AMD Ryzen™ 5 4500U
• AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600U
• AMD Ryzen™ 5 7535U
• AMD Ryzen™ 5 PRO 7730U

The software stack was standardized using Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, and Microsoft Intune as the common foundation, ensuring consistent user experience and manageability across 47 countries.

Commenting on the migration decision, Koki Takahashi, General Manager of the UX Solutions Department within the Employee Experience Division of the IT Strategy & Digital Integration Division, stated: "AMD delivered reliable processor and graphics performance while remaining price competitiveness with recent-generation hardware."

The AMD Ryzen™ and Ryzen PRO CPU-powered PCs, adopted as standard devices, were highly valued for the stability of their global supply even amidst fluctuating demand. This stability aligns with the short lead-time operations required for DaaS.

Furthermore, this approach provides significant advantages in both procurement and operational costs. According to estimates by the IT Strategy & Digital Integration Division, AMD CPU-based PCs provide a cost advantage of approximately 5,000 yen per unit compared to the previously used processors. At a procurement scale of approximately 85,000 units, this results in total projected savings of approximately 425 million yen. Takahashi commented on the impact of the standard device refresh: "By adopting AMD processor-based PCs as our standard devices, combining cost competitiveness with stable performance that supports uninterrupted business operations, we were able to align our hardware strategy with company-wide IT objectives."

Global deployment across 47 countries and reliability validation

The AMD CPU-based PCs adopted by the IT Strategy & Digital Integration Division serve as the standard device for Hitachi Group employees worldwide. To deliver a satisfactory employee experience, it was essential to address and eliminate user concerns about usability and reliability. Operating environments vary significantly across the globe, and concerns were specifically raised regarding device heat generation and operational stability in high-temperature, high-humidity regions such as Southeast Asia and India.

To address these challenges, Hitachi conducted its own comparative performance validation testing using identical chassis models (Lenovo ThinkPad E14). The company evaluated CPU temperature, stability, and performance side-by-side by running models equipped with AMD Ryzen™ PRO processors against those with competing processors under continuous, general business workloads. The results confirmed that the AMD Ryzen™ PRO models operated more stably at lower temperatures: the AMD CPU-powered model reached a maximum temperature of 92.8°F (33.8°C), while the competing model reached 101.1°F (38.4°C).

This difference represented a critical factor directly affecting perceived performance and reliability, particularly in high-temperature regions. Takahashi commented: "Presenting temperature data based on actual usage environments was a decisive factor in gaining understanding across regions."

Through this validation process, the Hitachi Group established the technical reliability necessary to deploy AMD CPU-powered PCs as a global standard.

As of September 2025, AMD CPU-based PCs account for 49 percent of devices within the Hitachi Group, with the share expected to exceed 50 percent, or approximately 150,000 units, during fiscal year 2025.

Enhancing productivity through the expansion of AI PCs

The IT Strategy & Digital Integration Division is accelerating the full-scale deployment of AI PCs to improve the future productivity of the Hitachi Group. In particular, by establishing a device-level environment capable of leveraging local AI agents, the division aims to ensure security while enabling automation of routine tasks and high-speed AI assistance. This approach is expected to enhance responsiveness and operational efficiency. Takahashi commented: "We believe that advances in AI will accelerate document creation and approval processes, leading to significant improvements in productivity across the Hitachi Group."

In addition to improving productivity, future AI PCs are expected to reduce environmental impact through energy-efficient AI processing by NPUs. Their low power consumption also enables smaller batteries, which in turn contribute to lighter devices and improved mobility.

The IT Strategy & Digital Integration Division has announced plans to transition 50 percent of PCs provided through DaaS to AI PCs by the end of fiscal year 2027. Furthermore, to promote practical adoption in the field, the division has introduced an AI Ambassador program to share concrete successful use cases across business units and encourage broader utilization.

AMD CPU-based PCs are also evolving into AMD Ryzen™ AI, leveraging data center CPU, GPU, and NPU technologies to deliver high-speed, low-latency local AI while keeping sensitive data secure on the device. Going forward, AMD CPU-based PCs will continue to serve as a key pillar supporting productivity gains and faster decision-making across the Hitachi Group's global operations.