LAUNCH VIDEO, Q&A + interview: HP’s 2024 AI PC revolution, using Intel Core Ultra processors, begins now!

The era of the AI PC has well and truly arrived, with the major PC makers all introducing their latest ranges with Intel’s Core Ultra 5, 7 and 9 processors, (or AMD’s Ryzen 8000G or 8040 processors), with Australia’s No.1 PC brand, HP, unveiling “Chapter 1” of its 2024 Intel-powered AI PC lineup in Sydney, Australia, earlier this week – with the full launch video below, a media Q&A and a video interview, below!

Although AMD was first to bring Ryzen 7040 in early 2023, and then 8000G and 8040 AI processors announced in late 2023 and now available, 2024 is the year that AI PCs are truly going mainstream, with Intel’s Core Ultra 5. 7 and 9 processors arriving from the major PC makers, along with the AMD Ryzen 8000G and 8040 series from HP and Lenovo, too.

Back on March 7, 2024, HP in the US announced its widest range of AI PCs running both the latest Intel Core Ultra and AMD Ryzen AI processors. These processors are equipped with an ‘NPU’ or neural processing unit that adds extra computing power to handle various tasks that would have taken extra battery, CPU and GPU power to accomplish.

Now, HP’s new Intel Core Ultra-powered range has arrived in Australia, promising “breakthrough innovations that harness the power of AI” to redefine and enhance productivity, creativity and collaboration.

These new HP models include the HP Elite, EliteBook, Pavilion, ZBook, Spectre and Omen ranges.

HP notes that “AI, like many other groundbreaking technologies, is not just a buzzword at HP but a real-world utility driving substantial change and unlocking new experiences for people across Australia. The product portfolio revealed today features both consumer and commercial focused PC innovations that will impact our customers in various aspects of their lives.” 

More details are below, but first, here’s the video of HP’s launch event, introduced by Rachael Williams, Head of Personal Systems, complete with demonstrations by HP’s AI evangelist, Mark Fenson, who also introduced and showcase the work of Adobe’s Mike McHugh, who demonstrated how easy it is to create images from text prompts using generative AI, and Chuck Grotte, a creative director and AI artist who created graphics and moving images that are truly impressive!

There was also a fireside chat hosted by Rachael Williams, featuring Lisy Kane, co-founder of Girl Geek Academy and a videogames producer, and Jason Ross, a tech enthusiast and co-founder of Tech Under Tension. More videos and full article here: (link coming soon).

As the hybrid work landscape continues to evolve, workers are still struggling with disconnection and digital fatigue. HP’s 2023 Work Relationship Index revealed that only 22% of knowledge workers in Australia have a healthy relationship with work, and 83% believe it’s time to redefine our relationships with work. Most employees believe AI will open new opportunities to enjoy work and make their jobs easier, but they need the right AI tools and technology to start to experience the positive impact of it.

“AI creates a level playing field, ensuring we’re all creators, innovators and entrepreneurs. The sheer variety of applications and services in Australia is testament to the need for local solutions that fit local needs. AI ensures that ideas can be executed,” said Brad Pulford, Vice President and Managing Director, HP Australia and New Zealand.

“Beyond that, AI has the opportunity to boost productivity for everyone, taking care of time-consuming tasks, allowing people to focus on higher-level creativity and innovation. The latest suite of AI PCs from HP are designed to unlock the next productivity frontier, helping individuals and businesses reach their full potential.”

Here’s my video interview with HP’s Head of Personal Systems, Rachael Williams:

Next is the media Q&A session that took place after the launch video further above. Below this video is more information from HP on its new range – please watch and read on!

HP’s AI Portfolio – here’s the information HP has shared:

The latest HP Elite and Pro PC solutions are equipped with AI capabilities powered by Intel vPro featuring Intel® Core Ultra 5 and 7 processors. These processors have dedicated NPUs for tackling AI tasks with more personalised performance. HP says its Smart Sense feature “is designed to automatically anticipate and adjust to your PC usage behaviour, ensuring the best balance of performance and power.” 

HP now has the portfolio of Intel Core Ultra processors demonstrating a commitment to innovation and performance. The lineup of product launched today includes:

• HP Elite 1040 Series Notebook PCs: As the world’s most powerful AI business PCs, the series is designedtodeliver a seamless blend of portability, performance, and up to 21 hours of battery life for leaders and workers on the go. Harnessing the power of AI, users experience up to 80% better graphics performance, up to 38% less power for AI-enhanced collaboration, and up to 132% faster AI video editing compared to the previous generation. With HP Smart Sense, AI transforms your PC’s power so it runs up to 40% quieter. Over 70% of major parts contain recycled materials, including recycled fishnets in the keyboard. Additionally, power data tracking and suggestions help reduce energy use.
• HP EliteBook 840 Notebook PCs: Created to meet the needs of enterprise knowledge workers taking on daily workloads that demand powerful performance and collaboration features. The new series is equipped with Intel vPro featuring Intel® Core™ Ultra 5 and Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 processors for AI-driven productivity. These PCs contain at least 75% PCR plastic in the bezel.
• HP EliteBook 640 Notebook PCs: Crafted for corporate and public sector organizations that need to maximize value and flexibility to equip a range of users in hybrid environments. These PCstackle demanding business applications so work can be done efficiently and reliably. Devices contain at least 30% PCR plastic in the bezel and at least 50% PCR plastic in the keycaps. 
• HP Pavilion PCs: Crafted to be ideal companions for Gen Z, delivering a premium experience tailored to their dynamic lifestyles at excellent value. Equipped with built-in AI engines, these laptops strike the perfect balance between performance, mobility, and quality, ensuring the best computing experience for our Gen Z customers.

Z by HP delivers high-performance computer solutions designed to power the most demanding workflows. The newest generation of AI HP ZBook mobile workstations tackle the challenges of mobile work yet maintain the necessary collaboration tools for executing large, complex projects from anywhere. Offering a broad range of CPUs including Intel Core Ultra 5, 7 and 9 processors with dedicated NPUs, ZBook helps unlock new levels of productivity and creativity through AI. Z by HP’s comprehensive hardware and software solutions ensure reliability, security, and mobility for creative professionals.

• HP ZBook Power G11: A high-performance computing solution with the ability to power the most demanding workflows, boosting productivity in a new premium 16” design with pro-grade components for running AI development and conceptual design applications. Featuring up to an NVIDIA® RTX™ 3000 Ada Laptop GPU,  the HP ZBook Power G11 is designed to handle 3D modeling, AI-powered content creation, and heavy multitasking with ease. It’s also configurable with the new NVIDIA RTX 500 and 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPUs that provide the benefits of NVIDIA’s latest GPU architecture.
• HP ZBook Firefly G11: The perfect fusion of pro-level performance and true mobility. The ZBook Firefly enables seamless project management from anywhere and is equipped with AI-accelerated performance with the NVIDIA RTX A500 Laptop GPU and offers dynamic power efficiency and exceptional battery life.

 Focus on the work that matters with AI PCs

Today’s PC is no longer a personal computer, but a personalised companion that anticipates your needs for more responsive and optimised experiences. For example, the HP Spectre x360 14 inch 2-in-1 Laptop PC and the HP Spectre x360 16 inch 2-in-1 Laptop PC, both an Intel® Evo laptop featuring Intel® Core Ultra x processor do just that with:

• A PC That Adapts to You: A 9 MP camera with hardware-enabled low-light adjustment for clear calls day or night; a dedicated AI chip that delivers built-in security features including walk away lock, wake on approach, and privacy alerts to warn you of snooping eyes; adaptive screen adjustments like a screen dimmer when you look away to save power and variable refresh rate for immersive performance and power efficiency; and, automatic performance optimization that adjusts fan noise and temperatures based on applications being used, placement of the laptop, and battery status.
• Powerful AI Technology:Three engines (CPU, GPU, and NPU) across Intel Core Ultra processors offer some of the most exciting technology available today to perform a variety of local AI workloads like photo and video editing for faster, more efficient content creation and collaboration.
• Advanced Collaboration: The latest Spectre laptops are the first consumer devices to feature audio tuning by Poly. Poly brings decades of audio tuning experience to these devices, delivering the best voice clarity and remarkable sound. Further enhance calls and video with Windows Studio effects, which offloads AI features like automatic framing, background blur, and the ability to maintain eye contact onto the NPU for engaging connections. ​
• Picture Perfect Views: The latest Spectre laptops offer the world’s most immersive experience display, with up to a 2.8K OLED screen for sharper images and more vibrant colours, along with an IMAX Enhanced Certification for watching movies. The 16:10 aspect ratio allows you to view more content, and the display can adjust from 48 Hz to 120 Hz based on the type of content you are viewing.

Work protected with HP security solutions

Building upon our reputation as the world’s most secure and manageable PCs, today, HP introduced the world’s first business PCs to protect firmware against quantum computer hacks featuring HP’s upgraded Endpoint Security Controller (ESC) chip, which helps ensure the manageability and protection of sensitive data. Isolated from the processor and OS, the ESC provides a hardware platform that reduces the risk of data breaches and improves productivity by preventing downtime.

The HP Elite and ProBook notebooks and Z by HP workstations are equipped with HP Wolf Security for Business to protect end users no matter where and how they work. HP also launched HP Cloud Endpoint Manager SaaS, which is purpose-built for mission-critical devices to help IT secure endpoints from threats with automated device monitoring and remediation.

Transforming the gaming experience

Those who value a gaming lifestyle crave versatile machines capable of handling the rigor of top-tier AAA games, while boasting the performance to manage visually demanding creative endeavors; from multitasking projects to operating robust creative platforms. Specifically crafted for gaming and creative work, including students, the OMEN Transcend 14 Gaming Laptop is offered with an advanced OLED display, an elegantly slim body, and superior-grade internals, which make up the world’s coolest and lightest 14-inch gaming laptop. 

The new OMEN Transcend 14 brings hybrid lifestyle gaming to life with:

• Exceptionally Vivid Display: Immersive for gameplay and perfect for content creation, this stunning device is offered with an IMAX Enhanced Certified 2.8K 120Hz VRR OLED display for incredible details and vibrant true-to-life color. The world’s first gaming laptop with a lattice-less sky printed RGB keyboard extends the vibrant color experience beyond the screen.
• Luxurious and Compact Design: Gamers want significant power in easily portable designs. This device weighs in at world-class 1,637 g with up to 11.5 hours battery life and a type-C PD 140W adapter to make charging on-the-go easier than ever before.
• Epic Speed Through AI: Maximize your experience with up to an Intel® Core Ultra 9 185H processor and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPUs to effortlessly engage with the latest games or handle compute-intensive tasks. Streamers and gamers can leverage the device’s NPU and OpenVINO plugins for OBS studio to make streaming and gameplay smoother than ever with up to a 24.6% Frames Per Second (FPS) improvement. Take full advantage of Auto Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) in OMEN Gaming Hub for a smoother gameplay experience by automatically switching between different refresh rates depending on content and power mode which can improve battery life up to 7%. Get up to 20% longer battery life in ECO mode.
• Thermal Revolution: No one wants scorching hot hands when they’re gaming, creating, or working. A redesigned chassis utilizes inbound airflow to create a pressurized zone using a vapor chamber for direct heat dissipation through rear vents. This thermal innovation co-engineered with Intel’s dual channel flow technology produced in the world’s coolest 14-inch gaming laptop, which can achieve 4x higher static pressure with an 80w thermal capability within a 12 mm base.
• Boost Your Play and Productivity: Perfect for the student gamer, OMEN Transcend 14 offers both local AI capabilities through its Intel processors, as well as built-in AI with Otter.ai for features like live transcript and real-time captions during meetings or classes, a record function for transcribing audio, and AI-generated notes.
• The World’s First Gaming Laptop with Audio tuned by HyperX: The HyperX audio team worked closely with the OMEN Transcend 14 engineers to custom tune the laptop’s sound performance, elevating clarity and spectral balance to enhance the overall gaming audio experience, ensuring that subtle details are not overshadowed by louder sounds.

HP has also updated its OMEN Transcend 16.1-inch Gaming Laptop PC with the addition of up to a striking 2.5K 240Hz OLED display option as well as its OMEN 16.1-inch Gaming Laptop PC and Victus 16.1-inch Gaming Laptop PC – all updated with Intel Core i7 HX processor (14^th gen).