No, Dell is not a Chinese company. It is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, United States. While Dell manufactures a large part of its products in China through contract manufacturers, it is completely American in origin, ownership, and corporate structure. Dell offers a wide range of hardware, software, and services, including personal computers or PCs, laptops, gaming and peripherals, servers, data storage devices, network switches, security and management software, and cloud and virtualization services.
| Details | Info |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Michael Dell |
| Headquarters | Round Rock, Texas, United States |
| CEO | Michael Dell |
| Sector | Computers, Software |
Company History
Dell was founded as PC’s Limited by Michael Dell in the year 1984. It started as manufacturer of IBM clone computers which were sold directly to the consumers in a model that bypassed the retailers. The company was renamed Dell Computers Corporation in the year 1988. By 1992, Dell had become one of the Fortune 500 companies.
Dell pioneered e-commerce by selling PCs online through its own website which was launched in 1996. In the year 2001, Dell became the largest PC vendor in the world. Dell diversified beyond PCs to other products like servers and storage devices in the year 2003. In the 2009-12 period, Dell transformed into an enterprise solutions provider through acquisitions of multiple companies like Perot Systems, SonicWall, Quest Software and others.
Dell acquired EMC Corporation in the year 2016 for $67 billion. It is the largest technology acquisition in history. The company ventured into AI-optimized hardware in the year 2024.
Current Status
Dell holds the second position in the global PC market, with share hovering between 13-14%. It is particularly strong in North America, with number one position in commercial PCs, desktops, workstations, and monitors. Dell is present in over 180 countries worldwide. The company has a network of contract manufacturers, including Foxconn, Wistron, and Compal, in China, India, Vietnam, and Mexico.
Key brands of the company are Dell, Dell EMC, Latitude, Alienware, PowerEdge, XPS, VxRail, and SecureWorks. Dell’s recent launches primarily feature AI integration, right from redesigned Copilot + PCs to self-healing storage and liquid-cooled servers.
Future Outlook
Dell is projected to register a high CAGR in the AI segment through 2028, driven by NVIDIA Blackwell integrations and liquid-cooled servers. The company’s overall growth in the PC market is expected to remain stagnant in the year 2026, however its commercial PC segment is likely to achieve moderate growth on the back of AI PCs and Windows 11 refresh.
