ORGANIZATION
Lenovo
A PC maker that began as a company set up in Beijing in 1984 by Liu Chuanzhi with 200,000 yuan of seed money from the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; it later took the name Legend. On 1 May 2005 it completed its acquisition of IBM's Personal Computing Division, the maker of the ThinkPad line, and in October 2014 it bought Motorola Mobility from Google for about US$2.91 billion. Listed in Hong Kong, it is led by Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing. Revenue for the fiscal year ended March 2026 was a record US$83.1 billion, up 20%. IDC's preliminary data put it first in worldwide PC shipments in the third quarter of 2026, with a 23.8% share.
Organization
- Founded
- 1984
- Status
- Active
- Active
- 1984–
- Appearances
- 00
- Name
- ENLenovoJAレノボ（聯想）
Lenovo is a Hong Kong-listed technology company whose main business is personal computers. Yang Yuanqing is Chairman and CEO. Revenue for the fiscal year ended March 2026 was US$83.1 billion, which the company calls a record. It began in Beijing in 1984: according to CGTN, Liu Chuanzhi set up the ICT New Technology Development Company with 200,000 yuan of seed money from the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and that company later became Lenovo. English Wikipedia gives its founding as 1 November 1984, under the name Legend.
A company widened by acquisition
Two large acquisitions set the shape of Lenovo's business.
| When | Deal | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May 2005 | Completed acquisition of IBM's Personal Computing Division | Lenovo paid IBM US$1.25 billion (about US$650 million in cash and US$600 million in Lenovo shares) and assumed about US$500 million of IBM's net balance sheet liabilities. IBM came to own 18.9% of Lenovo |
| 30 October 2014 | Completed acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google | Purchase price of about US$2.91 billion. Motorola run as a wholly owned subsidiary, still headquartered in Chicago |
On completing the IBM deal, Lenovo said it had become the third-largest PC company in the world. Yang Yuanqing became chairman, and founder Liu Chuanzhi moved to a non-executive director's seat. Stephen Ward, who had run IBM's PC business, became CEO; executive headquarters were in Purchase, New York, with principal operations in Beijing and Raleigh, North Carolina. With Motorola, Lenovo said it would become the world's third-largest smartphone maker.
Fiscal 2026 in numbers
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Revenue | US$83,075 million (+20%) |
| Net income attributable to equity holders | US$1,912 million (+38%) |
| Adjusted net income | US$2,049 million (+42%) |
| Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) revenue | US$19.2 billion (profitable for the full year) |
| AI-related revenue | 33% of the total |
Lenovo's AI-related revenue counts PCs and smartphones equipped with NPUs, GPU servers and AI services. The company says its PC market share in the January–March 2026 quarter was 24.4%, the highest of any vendor, but does not say which tracker the figure comes from.
World PC share — IDC's preliminary data
According to IDC's preliminary data, worldwide PC shipments in the third quarter of 2026 were 62.7 million units, down 20.1% from a year earlier.
| Rank | Vendor | Shipments | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lenovo | 14.9 million | 23.8% |
| 2 | HP | 10.3 million | 16.5% |
| 3 | Dell | 7.6 million | 12.1% |
These are IDC's preliminary figures and may be revised.
Lenovo on this site
| Event | Lenovo's part |
|---|---|
| IBM PC | The buyer of IBM's PC division in 2005 |
| Zip drive | Partner in LenovoEMC, the joint venture with EMC that took over the Iomega business in 2013 |
| Copilot+ PC | One of the makers of the more than twenty machines launched together on 18 June 2024 |
The PC business IBM started in 1981 passed to a Chinese company in 2005, and within twenty years that company was shipping nearly a quarter of the world's PCs. This page is the other end of the market story the IBM PC article tells.
Questions this page answers
- When and how did Lenovo start?
- In 1984 Liu Chuanzhi set up the ICT New Technology Development Company in Beijing with 200,000 yuan of seed money from the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It later took the name Legend and became today's Lenovo.
- How much did Lenovo pay for IBM's PC business?
- In the deal completed on 1 May 2005, Lenovo paid IBM US$1.25 billion (about US$650 million in cash and US$600 million in Lenovo shares) and assumed about US$500 million of IBM's net balance sheet liabilities. IBM ended up owning 18.9% of Lenovo.
- What is Lenovo's share of the world PC market?
- According to IDC's preliminary data, Lenovo shipped 14.9 million PCs in the third quarter of 2026 for a 23.8% share, the largest of any vendor, ahead of HP (16.5%) and Dell (12.1%).
- How large is Lenovo's business today?
- For the fiscal year ended March 2026, revenue was US$83.1 billion (up 20%) and net income attributable to equity holders US$1,912 million (up 38%). Lenovo says its Infrastructure Solutions Group brought in US$19.2 billion and AI-related revenue made up 33% of the total.
Sources
FY2025/26 revenue of US$83,075 million (up 20%), net income attributable of US$1,912 million (up 38%), adjusted US$2,049 million (up 42%), ISG revenue of US$19.2 billion, AI-related revenue at 33% of the total, 24.4% PC share in the January–March quarter (company claim), Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing
SecondaryIDC: Mac shipments drop 11% in Q3 as global PC market slides 20% — 9to5Mac, Oct 8, 2026
IDC preliminary data for Q3 2026: 62.7 million PCs shipped worldwide (down 20.1%); Lenovo 14.9 million and 23.8%, HP 10.3 million and 16.5%, Dell 7.6 million and 12.1%
Completion on 1 May 2005; payment of US$1.25 billion (about US$650 million cash and US$600 million in shares); IBM's 18.9% stake; assumption of about US$500 million of net liabilities; Yang Yuanqing as chairman (Liu Chuanzhi to non-executive director); IBM's Stephen Ward as CEO; executive headquarters in Purchase, New York, with principal operations in Beijing and Raleigh
PrimaryLenovo Announces 2004/05 Annual Results — Lenovo
Lenovo's statement that the completed acquisition created the third-largest PC company in the world
PrimaryLenovo Completes Acquisition of Motorola Mobility from Google — Lenovo, Oct 30, 2014
Completion of the deal; purchase price of about US$2.91 billion; Lenovo's statement that it becomes the world's third-largest smartphone maker; Motorola to remain headquartered in Chicago as a wholly owned subsidiary
SecondaryLenovo founder Liu Chuanzhi retires — CGTN, Dec 18, 2019
In 1984 Liu Chuanzhi set up the ICT New Technology Development Company with 200,000 yuan of seed money from the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; it later became Lenovo
TertiaryLenovo — Wikipedia
Founded on 1 November 1984 in Beijing as Legend; merged in 2005 with the IBM PC business that produced the ThinkPad line (facts in the text were checked against the primary and news sources above)
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