With the Dicker Data team on the ground in Las Vegas for Dell Technologies World 2026, one message came through loud and clear: AI has officially moved beyond hype and into real, measurable business impact.
What was once experimentation is now execution at scale. We’re seeing a decisive shift from incremental productivity gains of 20–30% to exponential improvements of 20–30x, driven by the emergence of agentic AI. At the same time, token consumption is projected to grow at an unprecedented rate, reinforcing that AI isn’t slowing down, it’s accelerating.
For partners, this marks a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
AI is Entering a New Phase
While AI has been evolving for more than 70 years, the real inflection point has come from generative AI combined with modern compute and data platforms. This has unlocked the ability to deliver real-time, context-aware, human-like interactions at scale.
The result? AI is no longer a “nice to have” innovation, it is becoming a core operating layer of the enterprise.
We are now firmly in the era of “useful AI”, where organisations are no longer asking if they should adopt AI, but how fast they can operationalise it.
What This Means for Partners
1. AI is now a business transformation conversation
Customers are no longer running isolated pilots, they are rethinking entire workflows, processes, and operating models.
This fundamentally changes the partner conversation:
- It’s no longer about selling products
- It’s about delivering outcomes, productivity, and competitive advantage
Partners who can elevate discussions to business impact and ROI will lead in this market.
2. Hybrid AI is the strategy forward
As Michael Dell put it: “Hybrid AI is not a compromise. It’s a competitive advantage.”
Customers are increasingly recognising that no single environment can meet all their needs. Instead, success requires a balance of cloud, edge, and on-prem infrastructure.
This creates a clear opportunity for partners to:
- Architect hybrid AI environments
- Optimise where workloads run (cost, performance, security)
- Deliver differentiated value through design and integration
3. Infrastructure demand is accelerating rapidly
As AI workloads scale, infrastructure becomes a critical bottleneck, and a major growth driver.
Organisations are now investing in:
- High-performance compute (GPU and accelerated platforms)
- Modern data architectures (lakehouse, unified data platforms)
- Scalable, secure storage and networking
Partners who can connect infrastructure to real business use cases, rather than just supply hardware, will capture the most value.
Key Insights from the Field
Scale, not capability, is the breakthrough
AI capability has existed for decades. The difference today is scale, enabled by modern compute power and richer data ecosystems.
This is what has unlocked:
- Real-time inference
- Enterprise-ready applications
- AI embedded across workflows
AI is a team sport
The reality is that no single vendor delivers an AI solution end-to-end.
On average, seven partners are involved in each AI deployment, spanning:
- Infrastructure
- Software and ISVs
- Services and integration
- Data and security
For partners, this reinforces the importance of ecosystem collaboration.
Execution is the biggest roadblock
Despite strong interest, many organisations remain stuck in “POC purgatory”.
Common challenges include:
- Lack of clearly defined business outcomes
- Poor prioritisation of use cases
- No measurable ROI framework
- Limited executive alignment
This is one of the biggest opportunities for partners, helping customers move from: Experimentation → Production → Scale
Four high-value AI use cases driving adoption
Across industries, four core use cases are consistently delivering value:
- Knowledge assistants
Enterprise search, chatbots, and internal copilots improving productivity
- Coding assistants
Accelerating development and modernisation of applications
- Vision AI
Combining computer vision and GenAI for security, operations, and automation
- Agentic AI
Autonomous workflows that can execute tasks, not just provide answers
These serve as entry points for partners to build repeatable solutions.
Strong foundations are critical
One of the clearest messages from Dell Technologies World: AI success starts with the basics.
Organisations need:
- Clean, well-governed data
- Modern, scalable infrastructure
- Strong security and compliance frameworks
- Skills and processes to operationalise AI
Without these foundations, scaling AI becomes extremely difficult.
The Bigger Shift: AI as an Operating Model
Perhaps the most important takeaway is that AI is no longer just a technology discussion, it’s an operating model transformation.
We are seeing:
- A shift from headcount-driven work to AI-driven execution (token-based economics)
- The rise of AI “super users” delivering outsized value within organisations
- Organisations restructuring processes around automation and agents
In simple terms: AI is becoming embedded in every workflow, every decision, and every interaction.
The Bottom Line
We are entering a new phase of AI, and it’s partner-led.
The opportunity for the channel is clear:
- Help customers move from POCs to production
- Lead conversations around business transformation, not just technology
- Build repeatable AI solutions aligned to real use cases
- Deliver measurable outcomes and ROI
For partners across New Zealand and Australia, this represents one of the largest growth opportunities in decades.
Ready to Get Started?
The Dicker Data team is ready to support you across every stage of the journey, from strategy and enablement through to deployment and scale.
Get in touch today to start turning AI from hype into real business impact.
dell.sales@dickerdata.co.nz
