HP Imagine 2026: HP Announces High-Performance PCs for the Most Demanding Local Compute and AI Workloads
News Highlights:
- Enhances the HP Z8 Fury, supporting up to four NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition GPUs and the latest Intel processors, and now including an optional HP Max Side Panel chassis expander, the industry's only workstation chassis expanderi, ensuring future GPU expandability.
- Optimizes complex workflows for work on the move with the HP ZBook X G2 and HP ZBook 8 G2a and ZBook G2i mobile workstations.
- Enables IT leaders to balance performance, security, and manageability across cloud and edge environments with the HP ZGX Nano and ZGX Fury
NEW YORK, March 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, at HP Imagine 2026, HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) announced a new generation of HP Z Workstations, and AI solutions to give people world-class high-performance compute, while also helping IT organizations modernize their infrastructure for a hybrid future.
Across industries, power users such as engineers, architects, product designers, AI developers, and professional creators are facing unprecedented pressure as workflows grow more complex and performance demands accelerate. At the same time, IT leaders must balance these needs against cost, security, and manageability. HP's latest Z portfolio addresses both challenges and delivers uncompromising performance, future-proof design, and solutions that help customers deploy the right compute in the right place at the right time.
"Technology and high-performance workflows are evolving faster than ever," said Jim Nottingham, SVP and Division President, Advanced Compute Solutions. "HP Z workstations are built to equip the best and brightest professionals with the tools they need for specialized workflows and AI at the edge, while giving IT decision makers the ability to scale performance responsibly."
Future-Ready Performance for Power Users
The HP Z8 Fury G6i is designed to meet the most demanding compute and AI workloads. With support for up to four NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition GPUs and next-generation workstation Intel® processors, the Z8 Fury is purpose-built high performance for advanced AI development, visual effects, and simulation workloads, and is purpose built to be the ideal host for sharing scarce GPU resources with HP ZBoost.
HP is also introducing the HP Max Side Panel for Z8 Fury and Z4 workstations, an industry first- chassis expander that increases internal volume by 15 percentii. The new HP Max Side Panel allows power users and IT to install larger graphics cards tool free, while maintaining thermal performance and IT approved serviceability.
Mobile Workstations Built for Complex Work Anywhere
For professionals who need workstation class performance on the move, HP announced updates to its mobile portfolio with the HP ZBook X G2i, HP ZBook 8 G2i, and ZBook 8G2a. These powerful light mobile workstations deliver next-generation AI workstation performance which includes AMD and Intel options, integrated or discrete graphics, scalable memory, and improved portability without sacrificing battery life.
The HP ZBook X is world's most powerful 16" mainstream mobile workstationiii, and features powerful 3000-level graphics and 128GB RAM, eliminating bottlenecks during rendering. This kind of performance helps shorten project timelines for architects, engineers, and designers by accelerating photorealistic renders and real-time reviews.
Collaborating with industry leaders like Intel and Autodesk empowers our customers to iterate quickly and reduce time to real results, driving business outcome, faster. A mobile engineer using Autodesk Inventor on a ZBook 8 G2i can render designs 3.3x fasteriv. The ZBook 8‘s fast 3D design capabilities and a compact form factor is enhanced by a new GaN adapter that's up to 40% smaller and 50% lighter, boosting portability for professionals on the move.
Together, the HP ZBook X and HP ZBook 8 enable architects and engineers to run complex, multi-software workflows wherever work happens.
Accelerating with HP Z Boost
HP is also bringing updates to HP Z Boost, a GPU sharing solution that turns workstations into on demand, shared resources, removing the limits of local devices. Initially introduced for AI workloads, HP Z Boost is now expanding to rendering, helping increase GPU utilization and accelerate productivity without moving files or disrupting creative flow.
HP customers using Z Boost for AI workflows have enabled hundreds of additional AI training runs by sharing GPUs. With ZBoost expanding to support rendering workflows, initial customer deployments show up to 5.7x faster rendering in applications such as Catia and Siemens NXv.The HP ZBook mobile workstations serve as ideal Boost clients and HP Z desktops serve as ideal hosts, delivering an ecosystem for accessing strong local performance anywhere.
Enabling Hybrid for IT Leaders
As organizations rethink their reliance on cloud only approaches, HP's expanded Advanced Compute Solutions ecosystem supports hybrid AI strategies that balance local and cloud compute. HP Z Workstations and AI Stations, from the deskside ZGX Nano to the upcoming ZGX Fury, deliver scalable, high-density local performance for AI inference and finetuning, while integrating seamlessly into managed IT environments.
With support for largescale models, advanced workstation management, and rack ready designs, HP enables IT leaders to give their best and brightest talent more control and performance without compromising security or efficiency.
As AI workflows evolve beyond inference, customers are beginning to experiment with agentic systems that can take action across data, tools, and code. Emerging platforms and open source stacks such as OpenClaw and NVIDIA NemoClaw are accelerating this shift by working to deliver policy and governance enterprises need to trust AI agents at scale.
HP Z Workstations provide a trusted, high-performance future-ready foundation. Delivering the performance power users demand while giving IT leaders control over security, data residency, and cost as agentic AI workflows move from experimentation to production.
Power User Ecosystem
HP's Z portfolio extends beyond workstations, encompassing a broader HP technology ecosystem that includes displays and peripherals, collaboration solutions, large-format printing, and software innovations. Together, these offerings are designed to remove friction across high-performance workflows while simplifying IT management. Additionally, as part of the broader HP solutions ecosystem, IT managers can leverage the HP Workforce Experience platform to gain comprehensive visibility into device performance, employee feedback, and workplace technology usage.
Pricing and Availabilityvi
- HP ZBook 8 G2i and G2a devices are expected to be available on HP.com starting in April. Pricing will be provided closer to availability.
- HP ZBook X G2i is expected to be available on HP.com in Spring 2026. Pricing will be provided closer to availability.
- HP Z4 G6i Desktop is expected to be available on HP.com starting in April. Pricing will be provided closer to availability.
- HP Z8 Fury G6i is expected to be available on HP.com starting in April. Pricing will be provided closer to availability.
More information on today's news at HP Imagine can be found here.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q1: How does HP's new generation of Z Workstations and AI solutions address the evolving performance and workflow demands of power users across industries?
HP's new generation of Z Workstations and AI solutions deliver uncompromising compute power and future-proof designs tailored for specialized workflows. The HP Z8 Fury workstation supports up to four NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max Q GPUs and the latest Intel processors, enabling advanced AI development, visual effects, and simulation workloads. Additionally, features like the optional HP Max Side Panel chassis expander increase internal volume to accommodate larger future graphics cards, ensuring high performance and serviceability.
- Q2: In what ways do HP's latest mobile workstations, such as the ZBook X G2 and ZBook 8 G2, enhance productivity and portability for professionals working in complex, multi-software environments?
HP's latest mobile workstations, including the ZBook X G2 and ZBook 8 G2, enhance productivity and portability by combining workstation-class performance with lightweight, compact designs. The ZBook X G2 is the world's lightest and most powerful 16-inch mainstream mobile workstation, featuring powerful 3000-level graphics and up to 128GB RAM to eliminate rendering bottlenecks and accelerate photorealistic rendering and real-time reviews. The ZBook 8 G2 complements this with fast 3D design capabilities and a smaller, lighter GaN power adapter, improving mobility for professionals on the move. Together, these mobile workstations enable architects and engineers to run complex, multi-software workflows anywhere without sacrificing battery life or performance.
- Q3: How is HP supporting IT leaders in managing hybrid compute environments while balancing performance, security, and cost with their expanded Advanced Compute Solutions ecosystem?
HP supports IT leaders in managing hybrid compute environments through its expanded Advanced Compute Solutions ecosystem, which balances local and cloud compute resources for AI and high-performance workloads. The HP Z Workstations and AI Stations, such as the desk-side ZGX Nano and upcoming ZGX Fury, provide scalable, high-density local compute power for AI inference and fine tuning, integrating seamlessly into managed IT environments with rack-ready designs and advanced management capabilities. This approach allows IT to deliver strong performance and control to power users while maintaining security, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in hybrid infrastructures.
About HP
HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) is a global technology leader redefining the Future of Work. Operating in more than 180 countries, HP delivers innovative and AI-powered devices, software, services and subscriptions that drive business growth and professional fulfillment. For more information, please visit: HP.com.
i Based on HP's internal analysis of workstations with a minimum 3 ISV certs, configurable professional graphics, a dedicated workstation brand, and reported IDC volume of performance and premium workstation towers as of March 13, 2025. Also based on a manufacturer-designed, optional chassis expander defined as a side panel replacement component that physically increases the internal volume of a workstation chassis. Excludes alternative chassis sizes, internal modularity, airflow-only or cosmetic panels, rack-based systems, or custom modifications. HP Max Side Panel is an optional feature, comes at an additional cost, and is configurable at purchase or available as an aftermarket item.
ii 15% increase in chassis volume based on dimensions of the HP Z8 Fury G6i with the standard side panel (17.5" x 8.6" x 22") compared to the dimensions with the addition of the Max Side Panel (17.5" x 10" x 22").
iii Based on HP's internal analysis of competitive mainstream 16" mobile workstations with a minimum 3 ISV certs, configurable professional graphics, Intel Core Ultra H-series CPU, and a dedicated workstation brand as of January 2026. Most powerful mainstream 16" mobile workstation based on 16" mainstream mobile workstations with up to Intel Core Ultra 9 H-series CPU, equal to or greater than NVIDIA RTX PRO 3000 Blackwell GPU, and equal to or greater than 128GB DDR5 memory.
iv Based on preliminary Intel testing of Autodesk Inventor Ray Tracing (workload measures the time in seconds it takes Autodesk Inventor to complete GPU Ray Tracing in the Viewport) as of March 2026. Comparison made using pre-production HP ZBook 8 G2i (Intel Core Ultra 3-series CPU, 32GB LPDDR5 RAM) compared to full production HP ZBook 8 G1i unit (Intel Core Ultra 7 255H CPU, 32GB DDR5 RAM). Performance test data of pre-production units can vary depending on software, configuration, and other factors tied to pre-production development. Performance varies by use, configuration and other factors. Learn more at intel.com/performanceindex. Performance results are based on testing as of dates shown in configurations and may not reflect all publicly available updates. See backup for configuration details. No product or component can be absolutely secure. Your costs and results may vary. Intel technologies may require enabled hardware, software or service activation.
v Results may vary based on configurations. Siemens NX Ray Traced Studio rendering was filmed on a pre-production HP ZBook X G2i with Intel® Core™ Ultra CPU, 64 GB system memory, NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 3000 Blackwell GPU. HP Z Boost connected to two NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 6000 Blackwell Max-Q GPUs. CATIA rendering was filmed on an HP Z2 Mini G9 with Intel® Core™ i9-12900K CPU, 64 GB system memory, NVIDIA RTX™ A2000 GPU. HP Z Boost connected to one NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition GPU. Blender and Twinmotion renderings were filmed on an HP Z2 Mini G9 with Intel® Core™ i9-12900K CPU, 64 GB system memory, NVIDIA RTX™ A2000 GPU. HP Z Boost connected to one NVIDIA RTX™ A5000 GPU. Stable Diffusion image generation was filmed on a ZBook 8 G1i 14" with Intel® Core™ Ultra CPU and Intel® Arc™ Graphics. HP Z Boost connected to one NVIDIA RTX™ 6000 Ada GPU. Z by HP Boost requires client device with Windows 10 or Windows 11 OS and Vulkan Runtime for devices without a GPU, or WSL2 with Ubuntu 22.04 or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or greater. Host device for sharing GPU(s) must be a Z by HP workstation with NVIDIA professional grade workstation GPU(s) of Pascal architecture or later with an installed driver version 535 or greater, and a CUDA driver version 11.2 through to 12.3, Windows 10 or Windows 11 OS (WSL is not supported), or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or greater or Debian 11 or greater with libatomic1, libnumal1, libvulkan1, libgl1, libglib2.0-0 packages installed. Network connection required. Join waitlist to be considered for selection for early access. Performance test data of pre-production units can vary depending on software, configuration, and other factors tied to pre-production development.
vi Pricing and availability subject to change without notice.
vii 40% smaller and 50% lighter are comparison of the 100W USB-C GaN Wall Mount AC Adapter (108.5cc / 190g) versus the 100w Slim USB-C AC Adapter (179.5cc / 400g)
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